Affogato

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. I spent the majority of my weekend baking and cooking. We hosted 2 BBQ's and I spent hours trying to find a percolator in order to prepare one of my favorite dessert's, affogato! This Italian dessert pairs vanilla ice cream with hot espresso and is an updated way to serve coffee ice cream. I highly recommend you try one if you ever see them on the menu or better yet, make your own!

Image via Cup of Jo

Wine Country Weekend

After a VERY long winter it is finally Wine Country season. I'm headed to my parent's house in Kenwood for the long weekend and cannot wait to drink great wine, relax by the pool, and BBQ. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Colorful French Macaroons

I love the look of french macaroons, but have never tried them due to my boyfriend's nut allergy. I've spent hours searching for nut free macaroon recipes and finally stumbled upon Baking Obsession, which has 2 different recipes that combine coconut and sesame seeds as a substitute for almonds. Fingers crossed they fulfill all my expectations.

Image via Bliss

Giant's Game

I went to the Giant's game last night and for the first time this season I wasn't stuck in Ball Park traffic after work. I guess working in Mission Bay has it's perks every once in a while.

Conservatory Chair

When I saw this chair at Anthropologie I was instantly drawn to it. It doesn't fit with our current furniture or design aesthetic, but something about the juxtaposition between the bright florals and the grey background really caught my eye. I think I am going to use it as inspiration to infuse more color and print into our current decor.

Conservatory Chair $798 at Anthropologie

Sweet Spaghetti

I have been on a cupcake rampage lately and couldn't pass up posting the pictures of the Spaghetti cupcakes I made for a birthday party this past weekend. These chocolate cupcakes were made to look like spaghetti using yellow tinted buttercream, handmade chocolate meatballs, strawberry flavored spaghetti sauce, and white chocolate parmesan cheese. I think the final product is quite convincing.

Cupcake Cards

As you already now I am obsessed with Cupcakes. I found these cupcake inspired notecards and stationary at Papersource this weekend and instantly fell in love. Unfortunately, I already have plenty of stationary so I couldn't justify buying them, but aren't they adorable!

Cupcake Memopad $18 at Papersource

Cupcake Notepad $9 at Papersource

Cupcake Notecards $17 at Papersource

Tile Transformation

After a month of searching, Ian and I finally found (and agreed upon) the tile for our kitchen backsplash! The process of selecting tile was much more complicated than I originally imagined, which is why I'm so excited that it's finally over. Now I can't wait for the finished product to be on the wall.

Outdoor Living

Now that it's finally getting warmer, I am craving the outdoors. We are fortunate enough to have a back patio in the middle of San Francisco, however, as of now it is just an ugly cement slab. I'm very tempted to pick up a few pillows and this green grill in order to make it a little more colorful and enticing for BBQ season.

Meridian Patio Set found at Crate and Barrel

Pillows $30-35 at Crate & Barrel

Weber Grill $50 at Crate and Barrel

Mini Donuts

If you've been to Starbucks lately, then you've undoubtably seen their new mini cake donuts. I rarely eat donuts and have personally passed these up many times, that is until the Judge brought us coffee and donuts on deliberation day (who could resist an adorable pink donut when locked in a room with 12 strangers for 8 hours). The only problem is that they taste even better than they look, which will make ignoring the pastry display at Starbucks even more challenging!

Easy Baking

I personally enjoy baking from scratch, but if you don't have the time or the skills necessary then this Trader Joe's Banana Bread Mix is the next best thing. I like to add a personal touch when baking any packaged products, try adding either chocolate chips or mashed banana to make this bread extra special.

Sandal Struggle

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I have been shopping around for a pair of black sandals to replace my worn out pair of gladiators for a while. Unfortunately, Ian and my mom hate all gladiator type shoes, which makes pair #3 very unlikely. I'm leaning towards pair #2 since they have enough going on to make me happy with out being over the top. Which pair is your favorite?

Matt Bernson Gladiator $140

Cole Haan Air Whitney $148

Cole Haan FLX Air Vernonia $125

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I took a cupcake decorating class at Baking Arts over the weekend and was shocked at how easy it really was. All it takes is the right tools, a lot of blue frosting, and a little bit of patience to create these adorable cookie monster cupcakes. Stay tuned for more of my cupcake creations in the future.

My Life as a Juror

Anybody who complains about Jury Duty hasn't served in Marin County. I've spent my time as a Juror surrounded by wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, perusing the local Farmer's Market, and actually taking advantage of an hour long lunch break. I have to say it's been a nice break from reality and I will be sad to see it come to an end.

Farmers Market Flowers

One of the perks of serving Jury Duty at the Marin Civic Center is that I got to spend my lunch break on Thursday at the Farmer's Market. They had the most beautiful flower arrangements and made me excited for summer bouquets.

Colorful Commute

I have a rather long commute from Nob Hill to Mission Bay everyday. Recently I spotted a yellow vespa parked outside my building and I have to say it's pretty tempting. Not only is it my color of the moment, but it would cut my commute in half.

Wine Wall

I recently went to the Press Club in San Francisco to attend an UMASS Alumni function with Kathryn. When we showed up only 4 other alumni were there so we decided to get a drink and have our own alumni mixer (just the 2 of us). I have to say the Press Club was an interesting take on wine tasting with multiple wineries set up in one rather large location. I especially liked the wine bottle wall when we first walked in!

Trench Coat Transformation

I bought this white Trench Coat on sale for $25 from Old Navy with every intention of changing the white buttons so that I didn't look so much like a lab coat. I think the black buttons make all the difference, the finished product is so much more flattering and fashionable.

Urban Garden

I walk to work everyday and was surprised to find this beautiful graffiti on my way through Chinatown. If you can't plant flowers, paint them!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone did something special with their Mom's this weekend! I spent Saturday at the Ballet with my Mom and then headed up to the wine country for Mother's Day Brunch at my parent's golf club this morning. In between I practiced my flower arranging skills. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I hope you enjoy the flowers and your new watering can!

Farmers Market Finds

I really enjoy Farmer's Markets and I recently realized that I am always drawn to the peppers! They are not only beautiful but come in a variety of colors to instantly brighten up any meal. What's your favorite farmer's market find?

Breakfast in Bed

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day, especially on weekends. I was pleasantly surprised when Ian served me these wonderful pancakes in bed this morning. Yummy!

Juror Number 10

After 9 hours and 5 rounds of interviews, I was 1 of the lucky 12 selected to serve on the Jury in a criminal trial expected to last 6 days. 196 people showed up but only 12 were chosen, not sure if I should feel special or screwed.

Jury Duty

After 7 years of avoiding it, I am finally fulfilling my civic duty and reporting to Jury Duty. I have been an absentee voter in Marin ever since I went away to college and although I have been summoned many times, I've always been too far away to actually attend. Today will be a first for me and from what I've heard I'm in for a real treat...

Picture via JSOnline

Relaxation

I sure could use a little relaxation after all the chaos thats been going on at work. I wish I could escape to this outdoor oasis and let all my worries float away!

Picture via Fresh House

May Flowers

I have always loved May, not only because of the warmer weather but because all the beautiful flowers start to bloom. Aren't these colorful bougainvillea gorgeous!

Birthday Cupcakes!

Today was my 25th Birthday, but instead of celebrating I was stuck working from 6:30am-10pm. Luckily my wonderful coworker Amy surprised with these amazing cupcakes from That Takes the Cake in SF.

Motivation

Ian sent me these beautiful flowers at work last week. Not only did they provide the motivation I needed to get through 4 very stressful days, but they reminded me to relax and be thankful for what I have!