11.30.2011

Diagonal Sparkles

I was going for something totally different for this look but my polish was not drying fast enough and I had a party to go to that night so I left it simple and this is what came of it. It was super simple too, I just got some tape and taped off a section diagonally then painted the sparkles over it.









11.28.2011

Thanksgiving Attire

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, I know I did! It was full of great family and fun! Here is what I wore on Turkey Day.


















Outfit: Top and Necklace - F21, Skirt - Blue Bird, Shoes - Nine West



11.21.2011

Newspaper Nails

I have been wanting to try this for a while now so I thought why not give it a shot now. I looked up some articles on how to do the whole newspaper nails thing and as easy as it may look, its a bit trickier than it seems. I will give you a few tips a long the way.


Here is what you will need:
  • Newspaper
  • Rubbing Alcohol (some of the bottles at the store said "70% or 90% in volume", I had no idea what that meant so I bought the cheaper one which was 70% and it worked fine)
  • Light colored nail polish (so the ink from the paper shows more)

I started by grabbing some newspaper and it was kind of funny because at first I thought nothing of it, just grab some newspaper and slap it on. Then as I was browsing through the papers I noticed that everything in the newspaper was bad news and I didn't want any bad news written on my fingers. I ended up finding an article that my Dad's wife's Dad (confused?!) brought over about Warren Buffet buying some of IBM (they both work for IBM, my Dad, too long to count). Perfect.


Next I cut some pieces of the newspaper in no particular size out and laid them out.

Then I poured some of the rubbing alcohol into a small bowl.


To begin the actual process you will now dip your finger in the rubbing alcohol  for about 5 second or so.

TIP: Make sure your nail color is very dry before starting this process.


Remove your finger.

TIP: Press the paper to your nail right away, do not let the alcohol dry much or the paper will stick to your nail. Also, it might be hard if your nail has too much alcohol on it because it might make the ink too runny. Trial and error.

Grab a piece of the newspaper and press on your nail.

TIP: You will need to press the paper on pretty hard, not so hard that the paper sticks to your nail, but not so light that the ink does not show up enough. Also trial and error. Unfortunately it is a little hard to correct a mistake. If you get it fast enough you can dip it back in the alcohol and it might rub off for you to try again.



Once you believe you have pressed hard enough on the entire nail peel the newspaper up and voila!



Then repeat on all fingers!

TIP: Put on your top coat right away because the ink can easily smear on your nail before the top coat is applied.




This was my first time so they aren't perfect (or cleaned up yet in these pics) but I do love them and will definitely be doing them again!

11.18.2011

Sun Makes Me Happy

I am back home in San Jose California for a few weeks and couldn't be happier. The sun has been shining bright for me and is leaving me with a permanent smile on my face. It feels so good to have the sun warming your body instead of the cold making me a popsicle. I forgot how nice Fall is down here. =)




Outfit - Necklace, Scarf & Sweater: F21, Shorts: H&M, Shoes: Dollhouse 

11.16.2011

Napa Valley Wine Tasting

I was born and raised in the Bay Area and moved to Portland Oregon 8 years ago, right before I turned 21 and unfortunately never got the chance to go to Napa, until now! It is only an easy 2 hours or so from home and you are in a wonderland of wine, wine and more wine.

My bestie Amy, her adroable mini-me Alexis and I headed up to Napa on Monday (my birthday) for a little girls trips to the country. We got an amazing deal at the Marriott with great room, good location and an awesome restaurant. The grounds were gorgeous too!! With our deal we got tickets to go to 4 different wineries and we tasted about 5 wines at each place. Also included with our deal was more wine tasting at our hotel and an amazing breakfast with so much food to chose from.



We started our day at Acacia winery, then went to Provenance winery, stopped for lunch at the mouthwatering Rutherford grill (highly recommend it), after lunch went to the BV winery, then home for some more tastings, sat outside by the fire, had dinner in our hotel then had a pajama party!





She couldn't get enough of the pumpkins!! Every one we saw she had to touch!


The next morning we slept in, had breakfast then went off to Sterling Vineyards. This place was my favortie, mostly because of the view and the gorgeous grounds. You begin by taking a tram up the hill to where the winery actually is, once you reach the top your tastings begin.

In the tram heading up.

 As you walk yourself around the place, there are little tasting set up all over as well as little facts to learn about wine as you move along. My favorite part was when you get to the top you have a spectacular view of the valley and the weather couldn't have been nicer!! It was sunny and warm and the valley was full of vibrant fall colors. I didn't want to leave there.








 







My cutie! <3

I have to say my first time in Napa was a huge success!! We had a fanatic trip; amazing weather, great company and good wine. Hope to see you again soon Napa!