either/or

My new knife set made today feel like Christmas. Dangerously fun and cuts like a charm.

{Komachi 9 Piece Knife Set, $69 on Amazon}

NY Fashion Week Fall 2011 Favorites

Costello Tagliapietra

Cynthia Rowley

Derek Lam

Donna Karan

Jason Wu

Peter Som

Rebecca Taylor

Rodarte

Tracy Reese

Vera Wang

VPL

{Photos from Elle}

I was never one to dream about wedding gowns and such, but Anthropolgie's new bridal line BHLDN is so adorably chic. It has a charming vintage appeal and is perfect for the untapped yet increasingly popular niche of handmade weddings.

{mixtape album cover for my Valentine}

Red Velvet Cupcakes for Your Valentine

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons dutch cocoa powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk (room temperature)
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 1/2 teaspon red gel-paste food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioner's sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

DIRECTIONS

It's pretty amazing seeing the desert and snow all in a day.

{Photos from my trip to Mammoth + Death Valley}

2010 was quite a year for me. I moved to Los Angeles and found my own place, witnessed a birth and became an aunt, helped launch some product lines and a major website, landed a job (or 2) I feel like I worked hard for, made some lifelong friendships, and found/lost/re-discovered the love of my life.

Part of my resolutions in the form of a 24 things to do list: cook 24 new recipes, watch 24 new films, try 24 new restaurants, read 24 books. Here's to a great 2011!

{Cute New Year's resolutions as iPhone wallpapers. Part of the Resolve Project.}

Last minute gift wrapping before visions of sugar plum fairies dance in my head. Merry Christmas!

{My first pink Christmas tree; Handmade Gift Wrap Toppers: pages from an old children's poetry book, silver and gold tinsel from Target, paper doily, graph paper}

I was browsing through Amy Farrier's adorably quirky illustrations and then came across Chihiro Iwasaki's illustration for Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes. Prior to this discovery, I coincidentally revisited the movie due to my dark ballerina infatuation. Now if I can't get my hands on one of her books, I just may need to go back to my previous obsession and hope it doesn't end with me in a tutu.

Black Swan was a brilliant psychosexual thriller as anticipated and hyped. But as dark, beautiful, and intense as it was, my initial reaction was that it met high expectations but did not exceed them at all. Surreal and splendidly twisted, check. Extreme passion turned to self-destruction, check. Stunning performances, check. However, days later I'm kind of obsessed with the gorgeous visuals and inspired by the costume designs by Rodarte. I even appreciate the visceral discomfort of the imagery that I squeamishly dismissed as a contrived overuse of disturbing elements* because there's something sophisticated and artistically sexy about the combination of classical ballet, melodrama, Tchaikovsky, and Aronofsky's cinematic mindfuck skills.

*C'mon, shouldn't all dancers own nail clippers? Oh and of course you can't go wrong with Natalie Portman + Mila Kunis action!

{top to bottom: various ballerina couture finds including Caroline Knopf photography, Adriana Lima in Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld and pages from Vogue}