{surprise trip home: seattle, wa}

Hi all! Thanks for stopping by…did you have a nice weekend?

A few weeks ago, Tyler and I flew home to surprise our parents and celebrate both of our Dads’ birthdays in person. We thought the most unexpected gift we could possibly give would be ourselves… so off we went.

After touching down in Seattle, we hurried to my hometown of Gig Harbor where we I thought it would be fun to get in a human-size box with a big red bow and ring the doorbell of my Dad’s house to surprise him. You know you are marrying the right guy when he is willing to waddle down the street in a giant box with you in order to get the surprise “just right”:

We then surprised my mom, and then his parents… lots of hugs all around:

We spent our days boating, eating birthday cake, having beers at the Tides, hanging out  with family and friends, taking in the views, and even celebrating a baby reveal (I can’t post pics because she hasn’t announced the news yet, but it was really cute).

There are some exciting things happening around here soon – be sure to check back!

Have a great week everyone! xo

 

{pin it forward uk}

Pinterest has hopped the pond and is now settling right in over here in the UK – welcome, guys!

Although there are currently tons of Pinners around the globe, it’s exciting that they are now localising to make the content more relevant for a user’s location. I started using Pinterest in the US, but now as I’m in the UK, it’s great to pin items I can buy here, recipes I don’t have to convert, and images of One Direction aren’t bad either. ;)

I will be the first to admit I’m kind of a cluttery person at home (I am feeling the eye rolls of my friends and family right through the screen…) Although, I like to think of it as “creative living”. Don’t get me wrong, I can scrub floors like nobody’s business, but I just sort of like when my shoes sit in their pretty little pile. Or if every greeting card, invitation, ticket stub, wine label we have ever received is stashed in our drawers.

A few years ago, I was introduced to a new website called Pinterest – it took me all but five minutes to be completely hooked. It allowed me to organise my “creative living” (ahem) in one efficient place.

Once upon a time, I laid out my thoughts/ideas/plans something like this:

Although pretty, it was hard to remember where things came from, when I put it there, and why I decided to pin it up in the first place… but now, thanks to Pinterest, I can organise like this:

(cool, huh? come follow my boards!)

So once you have all these nifty  pin boards – then what? The items I’ve pinned have inspired me to plan a trip to Copenhagen, find the perfect dress for a design school graduation ceremony, taught me how to frost a cake for a baby shower…and those are just a few…

Recently, Pinterest has become the place I turn to plan all the details of my upcoming destination wedding in Maui.

Not only does it keep everything arranged, but it provides a place to stay in touch with those who are so far away. My Pinterest boards keep my family, friends and bridesmaids all connected and a part of this exciting planning process from thousands of miles around the globe. It also allows me to engage with my florist, wedding planner and photographer to show them just what I’m trying to create even though I’m on another continent:

I’d love it if you wanted to join in the fun! New? Sign up here – don’t worry, they will give you a quick tour and easy instructions – you will be up and pinning in no time. Are you already pinning away? Great! If you want a comment below with a link to your boards, I’ll be sure to follow you (anyone have a One Direction board…?)

There really is something for everyone (Dad? There are tons of cool techy gadgets you’d love. Brad? Boards full of hot cars that are right up your alley. Kristin? Amazing photography tips and tricks. Do you see where I’m going with this…?)

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you back soon (subscribe! it’s on the right side bar) , but for now – I’m happy to Pin-troduce (!) a fellow blogger to share his story with you. Please check in tomorrow with the uber stylish, Michael, from Michael84. I highly suggest you have a look at his fashionable blog, Pin boards and if you are extra friendly – give him a shout out on twitter!

{first image via}

{around the world and back again}

Hello little blog!

It’s been awhile since I’ve last said hello… but if I told you that in the past two weeks I’ve been to San Sebastian, Spain (more on that later), New York (for work/play), Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco (all for work) and then all the way back to London, I hope you’d forgive me?

 {recognize the building above? it’s the Friends building and we stayed there! thanks seth & kate!!}

I’ve been home a few days to rest up but tomorrow we will board a flight to Seattle for the weekend, then Maui for a few days to wedding plan and then LA for a friend’s wedding.  Hopefully you will can see why I’ve been a bit MIA!

Although the majority of my time city hopping has been for work lately, I thought I would share a few snapshots of my journey….

Tyler joined me for a long weekend in New York with our friends… we wandered the streets ducking into cute cafes for frothy cappuccinos and bagel sticks (holy cow this was one of the best things ever):

When Tyler and I first met on our blind date, he brought Magnolia Bakery’s famous cupcakes to surprise me and I’ve been dying to taste them again since that day (nearly four years ago!)

We had decadent brunch in the West Village at Jeffrey’s Grocery  and another at Lure in Soho – both delish!

A snowy afternoon with friends telling stories and naturally talking about lots of American TV that hasn’t made it to the UK yet:

The most amazing Grilled Cheese Sandwich (5 cheeses!!) and tomato soup you will ever eat – it’s at a cosy pub called Blind Tiger with a fire place, Bon Iver-type music and countless artisan beers on tap – a MUST.

Cuddles with the adorable Brandon (Ty is a natural):

A quick run around Central Park then it was off to the airport for Chicago.

Have you ever seen French Press coffee on the go? It was the coolest thing and the best coffee I’ve ever tasted out of a paper cup – well done,  LaGuardia Airport!

Chicago was…. windy.

LA was not as warm as I’d hoped. The pool at the SLS was very inviting but I froze after about 5 minutes and retreated to the lounge to hang out instead:

Dinner at Bazaar was incredible. Highly recommended. The Philly Cheesesteak is not to be missed!

San Francisco was charming as always. The sun came out, people chatted me up at Specialty’s Café while ordering morning coffee, the air was fresh, the neighborhoods packed with sweet cafés, restaurants and bars. I could definitely see myself living there someday.

Before I knew it, I was boarding a plane home and spent some much needed down time with good friends, Ty and Pippa.

Thanks for stopping by! xo

{weekend getaway: brecon beacons, wales}

Good morning! What’s everyone up to this weekend?

We are curled up on the couch watching Breaking Bad (I have a love/hate relationship with this show…) on this chilly Saturday morning. I was looking through pictures I snapped last weekend while we cruised along the winding, rolling hillside of South Wales.

About four hours’ drive from London, Brecon Beacons feels like a whole other world – filled with green pastures and forest stretching as far as the eye can see, charming cottages (or farmhouse in our case), quaint towns, sunsets and STARS!! We went with six other friends to celebrate our friend, Nadim’s birthday. He found this picturesque stone farmhouse in the middle of nowhere – it was absolutely perfect:

We arrived late Friday night, and were pretty beat, so after a glass of wine by the fire, we retired to the lofts tucked into different levels of the ol’ farmhouse. We woke up refreshed and ready to head out exploring. Even Pippa was pretty excited and made an excellent co-pilot:

After a bit of a beautiful drive into the National Forest, we found a perfect hiking trail and headed out:

Originally, we were told this would be a “leisurely walk” through the mountains, so we didn’t think twice about bringing Pippa along. When we arrived and saw other people decked out in full on hiking gear, Ty and I exchanged slightly worried glances…What is our spoiled city puppy going to think about all of this? We were soon to find out…

Pippa charged to the front of the pack and stayed there the entire 3 hour trek. She leapt off boulders, swam through frigid streams and skillfully maneuvered the slippery rocks. We kept laughing because this is the dog who shivers at the slightest breeze, cries to get off the couch and ducks for cover when the tiniest mist falls outside. Apparently she isn’t as much of a city dog as we thought!

When the sun started to set and our our boots were thoroughly soaked, we decided it was time for a pint of Welsh Cider back in the little town (village?) we passed earlier. We enjoyed pints at a 650 year old pub (which ironically was called “The New Inn”) while gazing at a church that was erected by monks in 1119. Crazy, huh?

  

The rest of the weekend was spent playing games, making dinner, drinking wine, listening to music and of course celebrating the birthday boy – Happy Birthday Nadim!

Check out some of our other weekend getaways: Venice : Copenhagen : Paris 1&2: Mallorca : Edinburgh 1&2

{a royal baby shower + fluffy coconut cake}

I had the best time planning, designing and throwing my first baby shower ever last weekend.

I couldn’t think of anything more fun than celebrating in Royal style to welcome my sweet friend Lauren’s twin princesses into the world. Especially since we are practically neighbors to the expecting Middleton herself!

Helena and I co-hosted this little soiree complete with a sweets table of bellinis (sparkling elderflower water for mama, prosecco for the rest of us), oreo truffles in mini gold foil, sparkling princess crown sugar cookies, flaky palmiers and a Fluffy Tahitian Vanilla Coconut cake to top it all off. Even Liz came all the way from Amsterdam to join in the fun!   

Fancy some fluffy Tahitian Vanilla Coconut Cake? Me too.

Fluffy Tahitian Vanilla Cake

with a hint of Coconut

• 5 large egg whites (150 g), at room temperature
• 3/4 cup whole milk (177 ml), at room temperature
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt (60 ml), at room temperature
• 1-1/4 teaspoons (6 ml) pure Tahitian Vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoons (5 ml) pure Coconut extract
• 3 cups (345 g) cake flour, sifted
• 1-3/4 cups (350 g) sugar
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (19.5 g) baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon (5 g) salt
• 12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes

Whipped Coconut Frosting

• 3 sticks + 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 3 cups sifted (475 g) confectioners’ sugar (icing, powdered)
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) milk
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) pure coconut extract
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt <<don’t omit this!

• 2 cups (142g) shredded coconut for garnish

Instructions for the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease, line with parchment, and flour two round 8-inch pans.
2. In a medium bowl or measuring cup, combine and stir the egg whites, 1/4 cup of milk, vanilla and coconut extract. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients together on low speed for 30 seconds.
4. Add the butter and remaining milk, and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and mix for 1-1/2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add the egg mixture in 3 separate batches; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds after each addition.
5. Divide the batter in two, spreading it evenly with a knife. If you have a kitchen scale, weigh to ensure 2 even layers.
6. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a cake tester comes clean when inserted into the center. Be so careful to not over-bake. Check cake at 20 minutes, but not before, and once you feel it’s almost ready, set the timer for 2 minute intervals. Let cool on racks for 10 minutes before loosening the sides with a small metal spatula, and invert onto greased wire racks. Gently turn cakes back up, so the tops are up and cool completely.

Instructions for the Frosting

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed (I use “4” on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light, creamy and fluffy.
3. Best used right away.

Recipe slightly adapted from Sweetapolita

*quick youtube video to assemble/frost a basic cake can be found here – then just sprinkle with coconut!

Enjoy!