Real Simple: Meals Made Easy

I just recently subscribed to Real Simple Magazine, and despite some of the silly features (paper towel round ups anyone?) I haven't regretted it for one single issue. This is entirely due to the recipes they select each month. It's the best kind of cooking- simple, bold, fresh and above all, realistic about how much time you'd like to spend in the kitchen each night.

I love Martha Stewart for inspiring images and daydreaming, but her recipes are often complicated and full of expensive and/or hard to find ingredients. Sometimes you want to spend several hours or even days creating something truly special, but on an average weeknight, the goal is something healthy, delicious and ready in an hour or less. The Real Simple recipes are realistic about what is actually available, affordable, and quick without sacrificing taste or quality.

I've just added this book (Real Simple: Meals Made Easy) to my collection and am planning to make a dish from it tonight. What are your go-to sources for meal planning?

A very Fancy Beach Tote

And speaking of Kate Spade, don't you think this canvas tote would be a charming addition to a Hawaiian wardrobe? I'm having visions of it sitting quietly in the sand beneath my beach umbrella or tucked under my arm with one of my striped beach towels peeking out the top as I run errands. In the sale section here.

P.S) I never buy white totes. They are always instantly filthy so I was happy to see this one comes in navy.

Shoe Clip Re-Vamp: The Sequel

I had a few e-mails about the DIY shoe clip post, so I thought I'd share another little shoe re-vamp. Here is a pair of pink suede sandals bought on super sale from the Gap a few summers back for $10. Fine, if a bit blah.

I bought a pair of vintage rhinestone shoe clips at an antique shop to wear on our wedding day and hadn't given them much thought since. But don't they make these tired old sandals look like a fancy new pair ala my hero, Kate Spade? I feel very pretty in them indeed. And a pedicure never hurts an "after" picture!

(Can I just add that a tripod is a blogger's best friend? Feet look a million times cuter when the camera is at a decent interval & angle!)

Have you been "shopping your closet" lately? What have you dug up or breathed new life into? I'd love to hear all about it!

Love Birds are in the Air at The Fab Miss B!

Love and Spring are certainly in the air in my studio lately. I'm having such fun turning out Love Birds! What sort of birdie couple represents you and your sweetie best? Eric & I would definitely be the short, round type- maybe pair of finches? P.S) Do you recognize the cake?

Artists to Investigate: Leah Giberson

My camper fantasy is getting more detailed by the hour and Leah Giberson's charming paintings are just fueling the fire. Her images remind me of Wayne Thiebaud's- must be those bold shadows and California sunshine drenched pastels! Have you discovered any new talent lately? I'd love to hear which new artists are on your radar.

Makua Meadows Coffee Farm

We had a lovely visit with my Mum the past week. A few days ago, after a suggestion from my friend Gwen, we visited Mauka Coffee Farms which produces 100% Kona Coffee on some positively breathtaking property. Here are some snaps of our self guided tour.


I'm guessing this is some sort of ginger, but I love the flower!

This hanging flower had a shape Mum described as an Arabian Slipper and a greenish blue color that looked like it belonged in the movie Avatar.

Eric tried his hand at cracking freshly picked macadamia nuts.

I think the man has discovered a new hobby.

Did you know a single Pineapple can take three years to grow?

And that coffee beans are red before they are roasted?

We'll miss you Mom!

Have you tried Melona Bars?

My friend Kristin introduced me to these wonderful creamsicles and I had to share the discovery. Melona bars are more like ice cream than ice and they have a very delicate melon flavor that is hard to resist. Definitely my new favorite treat. They sell them at Costco here in Hawaii but Wikipedia tells me they are available at most Asian markets on the mainland (and very popular in South Korea!).

What delicious discoveries have you made lately? Do tell!

Movie Review: The September Issue

My Mum is here enjoying the Hawaiian sunshine this week, so I was thrilled when The September Issuefinally arrived from my que to my mailbox. Since my Mother's personal style and interest in fabrics and fit are what first got me interested in fashion, she is the perfect person to enjoy this film with!

This documentary follows Anna Wintour and her staff (especially stylist Grace Coddington) through the creation of the famed September Issue of Vogue magazine. The September issue is more than just looks for fall. It's a sort of guidebook to the colors, cuts, accesories and designers that will be influential in the coming year.

Wintour is famous for being an Ice Queen (she was The Devil who wore Prada after all!) and though this movie doesn't show us any real tantrums, she doesn't come off like a ray of sunshine either. As the film unfolds, the real story centers around Grace Coddington, the stylist who assembles the looks and oversees shoots. She pours her heart into each and every story she does, but much of it gets left out of the final issue. Her struggle is knowing which battles to fight with Wintour while still remaining true to her own personal vision. After the battle has been won or lost, she also has to muster enthusiasm and joy as she breathes life into the next assignment.

Any artist can identify with the struggle to get excited about the next project or assignment on the heels of a creation that hasn't been well received. The creative process is a juggling act that requires persistence and passion above all else. Ms. Coddington is lucky to be at the top of her game, and I hope that someday we Vogue fanatics will be treated to a compilation of her favorite shots that never made it to newsstands.

This movie may not be the down and dirty expose of life behind Vogue's glossy pages I'd hoped for, but it was a wonderful reminder that there are different approaches to success in the creative world. And that it's all done in the name of Beauty.

Cupcake Making Goodies from Fancy Flours

I've been on a bit of a baking rampage 'round here lately, (unfortunately for the waistlines in this household, but wonderful for the babes at school.) The other day I stumbled on to Fancy Flours and was agog. Behold the goodies I unearthed there:
Cake Jewels! You had to know The Fab Miss B was gonna swoon over those babies!

Pretty Cupcake Liners



A tiny Cinderella (with arm candy Prince!)



The cutest ladybug band!



And a very elaborate Circus set up. (Don't you love the bareback horse ballerina? This calls for LOTS more party planning. Have you discovered any fun new sources lately?

P.S) They also sell edible glitter. You're welcome.

Nothing says Happy Birthday like Apricot Almond Cognac Cake!

We celebrated Eric's Birthday last week and I used the occasion as an excuse to make an elaborate cake to double as a prop for a photo shoot with my Love Birds. Baking the cake turned in to a two day affair, but it was absolutely worth it.

It's a dense apricot almond cake with a cognac and apricot glaze from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. The recipe is meant to serve 50-75 guests at a wedding, so I halved it. The cake itself didn't rise much (9 egg yolks will do that to a cake I suppose), but it was incredibly rich and surprisingly delicately flavored.

The whole thing was then smothered in mounds of insanely velvety butter cream frosting. This was my first attempt at butter cream and I'd heard lots of horror stories. (The truth is, anything that involves a candy thermometer and an understanding of "hardball" stage of boiling sugar makes me nervous.) There were a few moments of panic halfway through when the frosting was looking remarkably soupy, but I decided to see it through to the end and then let it chill and success was mine! (Here's to levelheadedness in the kitchen.)

I piped the frosting on with a star tip.

We washed it down with a bottle of champagne, naturally. Happy Birthday to the remarkable man I married. I always enjoy getting a year older with you, Eric.

An Etsy Story: Tropicalismo

When you live in a tropical paradise, your day starts when the sun comes up. The girl from Impenema opens her eyes, stretches and switches off the seaside nightlight on her bedside table.

She pours herself a glass of freshly squeezed guava juice into her a glass from her subtly colored vintage tupperware collection.

These Salt & Pepper shakers add a little spice to her breakfast of soft boiled eggs and toast, besides looking so cheerful on her kitchen table.

She jots down the dream she was having just before she woke in this elegant journal.

She walks down the hallway past these kitschy birds, enjoying the cool, clean wooden floors on her bare feet.

She switches on her radio and takes a moment to admire one of her favorite prints while she brushes her long hair.

It's hot today in Brazil. Our heroine slips into her favorite pale pink pleated skirt and a white cami, her cardigan tossed carelessly over her tan shoulders.

This parrot necklace adds a bit of tropical whimsy.

She slides on the handmade leather sandals (she has a whole collection of sorbet colors) that seem to go with every piece of clothing she owns.

She dusts on a bit of shimmery makeup with a big fluffy brush and applies a bit of lipgloss. Now it's out the door to stroll to a favorite cafe and spend the day sipping caipirinhas in the shade of a big ruffly umbrella.