french lobster is a'cookin!

its another famous ignition print halloween

(ignition is where i work, btw)

and since i was kind of the "new kid" last year

i decided this year i'd participate

and go for the $300 amazon gift card prize!

so i scrambled this morning to find a chef's jacket

and luckily i found it at the first place i went to (aahs)

made a hat out of poster paper

cut out claws out of red poster paper

stole..."borrowed" a pot and tongs from my work's photo studio

and wrapped molly up in one of taylor's red workout t-shirts

and voilà

the winners should be announced soon!

fingers crossed that i at least won 3rd place ($100 amazon gift card)

memories 4 by 4

i was excited to come home to some exciting post

i ordered some instagram pictures from postal pix last week

and i'm so shocked at how quickly they came

i can't wait to hang 'em up!

i'm thinking about getting some twine and clipping them up with wooden clothes pins

i'll post if i do

i need to remember to print pictures more often

facebook is great 'n' all for storing memories

but theres nothing like a little 4x4 memory to hang on the wall.

strawberries and creme waffle wednesday!

happy wednesday

half way there....

i was thinking this morning

monday and tuesdays i'm in a good mood

probably because ive just come from a great weekend and the taste of freedom is at the tip of my tongue

i feel rejuvinated and refreshed

then wednesday comes along... and the weekend seems so far away

thursday always feels like it should be friday...

and by friday i'm thinking "thank gawd, I don't know if I could do another day!"

wow, that all sounds kinda depressing

"the life and times of being 20-something with a full-time job!"

thank goodness for waffle wednesdays to brighten up mid-week blues

today teensy pieces of strawberry in the waffle batter

with a little extra whipped cream to top it off

book club beauties

happy monday!

i hope your weekend was full and wonderful

sunday night was a book club night with the 10 book club beauties

we devoured every sweet you could imagine

carmel apples, mummy hot dogs, brown butter rice krispy treats, cupcakes, redrum cake, artichoke dip, spinach dip, crostini's, donuts, whipped cream vodka punch... am i missing anything?

it was a fun-filled night with lots of laughs

we discussed the shining

and agreed that the film didn't do the book any justice

and quite frankly, we were all kinda pissed about it

if we could do it all over

we'd suggest an HBO mini series (because there is no way to do the shining in less than 6 hrs)

 and would cast either johnny depp, ryan gosling, or leonardo dicaprio as jack

and really anyone besides shelley duvall would be a better wendy

next up "Sabrina"

a light hearted love story for the the holidays...

flea market extravaganza

so of course i spend hours on blogs

bookmarking diy projects, "pinning" ideas to my pinterest boardds

and here i was, at a flea market, the crafters paradise

and i left with no vintage crates, mason jars, pens, old papers...

nada!

well except for a copy of the shining on dvd for $4

(just finished reading the book for my book club)

for some reason, i blanked on what i needed and wanted....

aside from the fact my hands were "tchotchkes" free

taylor and i had a fun time at the long beach flea market

i ran into a dear friend, april

and a dear coworker, maddie

and soaked up the socal sun

i caught a few good silly pictures of taylor at a vendor sunglass vendor

thought about adding to our typewriter collection...

(we already have 3!)

found that good ol' library card catalog

that i've so badly wanted for the past gawd knows how long...

and stood by as taylor spent time looking at hand tools

from a vintage tool vendor

all in all it was fun but i could kick myself for not getting any knick knacks

as soon as i came home i suddenly remembered all the projects i wanted to do

next time i will be more prepared

with a list!

christmas is just 10 weeks away and i need to get on making some gifts before its too late

photog weekends

 

 

 ive been putting aside a few hours each weekend to practice shooting

playing with wide angle lenses, prime lenses, lighting, posing... and the works

my favorite subjects are my best friend, davana, and my beau, taylor

its hard to catch a bad shot of them and theyre patient with me as i learn the ropes

what could be better?

this coming weekend i'm helping out a friend at work by shooting his album cover

im so excited... and kinda nervous

eeeeee!

weekend kick off

hey there

i know its been very quiet around here

and its driving me nuts!

our internet has been down since sunday
and i can't find the time to post at work (plus i feel guilty doing so)

and i have loads and loads of pictures to share

i called time warner and should have it all sorted by tonight

in the meantime

hear are some tunes playing on my headphones this morning

a little something upbeat to kick start the end of the week!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

homemade quinoa cakes with recipe!

Pin It last night taylor and i enjoyed a monday evening dinner

he grilled up some flat iron steak that he had been marinating since sunday

(oh my gosh the steak was incredible)

and i made some yummy quinoa cakes

adapted from joy the baker

these quinoa cakes are my newest obsession

we had them for dinner last night and for breakfast this morning 

and i'm not going to lie...

i'm kinda craving them for dinner again!

i basically used all the vegetables i had in the fridge from our sunday farmers market run

but feel free to add or omit any of the veggie ingredients.

ok, heres the recipe - its so simple! makes about a dozen cakes....

you will need:

1 cup raw quinoa

2 cups water 

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

3 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon lemon zest (and lemon juice from half a lemon)

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

4 padron peppers, finely chopped

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped

olive oil 

directions:

Place dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Wash under cool water for a few mins (quinoa needs to be rinsed or it tastes dirty).  In a medium saucepan, place rinsed quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 min (or according to pkg directions). Remove quinoa from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl whisk, together eggs and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together onion, cheese, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, bread crumbs, garlic salt, pepper and cooled quinoa. Add beaten eggs and stir until all o the quinoa mixture is moistened.  Add a little water to thoroughly moisten the mixture (if necessary). Quinoa should be slightly wet so it doesn't dry out during cooking.

Scoop out mixture by the 2 tablespoonful. Use clean, moist fingers to form into a patty.

In a large skillet over med-low heat, heat olive oil. If your pan is large enough, add 4-6 patties to the hot pan. You'll need a bit of room to successfully flip them.

Cook on each side until browned, about 4-5 mins on each side. Low heat helps the quinoa cakes cook slowly. Brown on each side then remove to a paper towel lined plate. 

recipe of the day

without intention, ive noticed i can go days without eating meat!

when a meat option is available for lunch at work, i find myself skipping out for the veggie dish

i used to be a vegetarian back in high school

but my mom was concerned i wasn't getting the right nutrients

and for all intents and purposes - she was probably right

you do, afterall, have to know how to eat properly when being a vegetarian and get the sufficient amount of protein and iron (which i was lacking).

anyway, 

now that i'm aware of my meat-less eating habits

and how easy it is for me

i figure, what the heck, why not embrace it

heres a recipe i found today from The Grub Daily Blog

i plan to get all the ingredients this weekend at the farmers market

Lentil Salad with Herbs, Tomatoes and Spinach

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{ Ingredients }

• 1 cup French green lentils
• Boiling water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shallots, diced
• 3 cups baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup mint leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

{ To Make the Salad } Place the lentils in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover with towel or lid and allow to soak for 20-25 minutes, or until softened.

Over medium-high flame, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook until they are softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until just wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, lentil, basil, parsley, and mint to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and serve!

let me know if you try this before me and how it turns out!

pomegranate raspberry waffles

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happy morning to you!

looks like we have a little bit of a heat wave starting today

so it seems fitting to have a summery-fall waffles

a little touch of summer mountain raspberries

and a handful of fall pomegranate seeds

mixed all together to make a fantastic waffle!

it is refreshing to see the fruits change up a bit at the farmer's market

slowly stone fruits, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries are on their way out

and pomegranates, persimmons, and squash are on their way in

i love how the seasons naturally change things up for us

Pin It

i wish you a wonderful rest of the week

may it be full and merry

a little tuesday inspiration

be inspired 

happy tuesday!

you can go to my pinterest to find sources

monday mornings

its a beautiful morning here in west los angeles

the sun is up, the air is crisp, the smell of lavendar coffee is brewing on the stove

its starting to feel like fall

a little windy and cool

i hope you had a wonderful weekend

and i wish you a wonderful week!

now time to go brush those teeth, shower, shave and all those other morning rituals

and head off to work!

sugary-cinnamon french toast bites

 rise and shine!!!

happy friday my dear friends

and to a lovely weekend!

this morning taylor and i enjoyed french toast bites

and hands down, these were the best yet!

they tasted similar to churros dipped in warm maple syrup.

it was so good that we kind of felt guilty

so this morning taylor decided to bike all the way to work and i'm going to walk...

 it would be selfish of me not to share this recipe

so here it is:

you will need:

french bread (baguette), cut into 1" cubes

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon butter

instructions:

in a large bowl, mix togeter the sugar and cinnamon then set aside

in a separate, large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract and salt.

add the cut up french bred to the wet mix & stir with a large spoon until the bread peices are soaked 

melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the saturated bread cubes

cook until brown and toasty on all sides (about 5 minutes)

remove from heat and add the cooked pieces to the sugar and cinnamon bowl

toss liberally until all the french bread pieces are coated with the mixture

heat up your favorite maple syrup

and dip away!!

taylor got a little carried away and dipped a few french toast bites into nutella

can't hate if for it...

cut i dipped one too! ;)

funspiration

lately i've been feeling inspired to pursue my photography a few steps further

i believe i was meant to create, but my insecurities have always gotten in the way

ive always believed that other people's work was better than mine - that in some ways my art was subpar

so i put off a lot of things that i wanted to do, or did them secretly...

like writing, or drawing, or expressing my interests in design in fear everyone else would disagree

but with my career in creative advertising...

ive had to write copy for movie posters that the whole coutnry could potentially see, 

give crits and feedback on creative designs

 and its forced me to break out of my shell a bit.

but when it comes to my personal work, i'm still lacking.

so to get started on an early new years resolution, i'm going to do what i love

whether anyone likes it or not; whether i like it or not...

im a few months shy of 25 years old and its time to put on my grown up pants and go for it!

i have a few generous friends who are going to teach me what they know

how lucky am i to work in a building full of art directors and photographers

and above all, a boyfriend that is incredibly creative himself

who has taught me to believe in myself

and that there is skill, and then there is passion

and with passion comes the skill and confidence.

here are a few photos that inspire me...

i love the mood, the lighting...

for now, i am gathering ideas and putting them in a safe place

in a folder just for me on my desktop... and my pinterest ;)

i would like to try and share with you each week a tid-bit of what inspires me

in hopes that in finding my way

i can help someone find their way too

xx, chelsea