Rushed Valentine Dinner

Before February ends, let me share with you the rushed Valentines dinner 
I prepared for my family.

Last Valentines, we really had no plans whatsoever to eat out. 

We didn't DARE TO! 

I didn't have anything special planned for dinner that night, but then a co-worker of mine mentioned she just ordered a Heart-shaped Pizza for her family for that day to celebrate.

I didn't even know that kind of pizza existed! 

And that was my "light-bulb moment", I thought, MAYBE I could pull off a sweet surprise for my boys in 1 hour (because that was all the time I had from coming from work and before picking the kids up from school)!

First stop: Dollar TREE - I grabbed 4 balloons ( & some other stuff)

which I used instead of place cards.

This one was on my chair

The rest of them had their names on it

With a short message.. :-)

I called in my Heart-shaped pizza at Papa Murphys and 

started spinning my salad and making my dressing.

I then baked my brownies and eventually used a heart-shaped cookie-cutter 

(also from the Dollar Tree) to make these...

I was gonna top this off with yummy Ice cream for dessert!

Dipped my strawberries from some left-over chocolate that I had 

and waited for them to cool-off..

They are as yummy as they look!

I then started with my table setting.

Using left-over gift wrap from Aidans Dr. Seuss Party, I cut my place mats to size.

I then added the Valentine Napkin and heart shaped marshmallows (all from Dollar tree) and brought out my milk glass collection.

After I picked up the boys, we went straight to their weekly Piano lessons, then went to Papa Murphys to pick up our pizza! I baked it and here it is...

Bacon, Pepperoni, Green Peppers and mushroom with lotsa cheese = YuMMy!

For Drinks, my husband and I had Pink Moscato and the kids had Freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice with  apple slices.

Of course what dinner would be complete without Candle-light?!

Boys reading their Valentine Card from mommy and daddy

Tired but happy mommy with her happy family!

My kids and husband were all pleasantly surprised 

and I am so glad I did this for them! 

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day too!

Linking back to Serenity Now

My Top 10 Favorite Oscar looks 2013

One of the shows I NEVER miss is the Annual Academy Awards.

Not only because I enjoy watching the show in general or that I'm rooting for a particular actor or movie, but because this is Biggest night for Movie Stars and I love seeing all the beautiful gowns and jewelry ( and of course, seeing who will pull off a Cher or  a Bjork outfit ;-).

So last Sunday, the Oscars red carpet didn't disappoint and here are my favorites.

10. Robyn Roberts



Blue Velvet at it's best - by Marc Bouwer

Sometimes, simplicity is just the best way to go and I think Robin personified this exceptionally well with this dress, accented only be her beautiful and happy face (post-transplant no less) and those diamond and sapphire earrings.  Perfect.

9. Jane Fonda

Still glam in yellow - Versace

A suprising choice even for me. I love it when women "dress their age" with pizzaz and class.

I think this one is a winner for her. Sexy in her 60s without showing too much is the way to go. I also like that she used a bold color instead of boring black, tells me this woman still has a lot of energy and vibrance left in her!

8. Halle Berry

Loveliest pinstripe I've seen yet - Versace

What's the red carpet without Halle Berry?

This woman can just pull off just about anything!

I admit it wasn't "her best", but a Bond-girl inspired gown?!

Wow, she just made pin -stripe look so hot.

7. Naomi Watts

Metallic done right - Armani Prive

I think this one is just so avante-garde-ly gorgeous.

It's not my personal style but I have to say Naomi just made you want to try on this cutting-edge gown. It's elegant, glittery and just perfect for her .

6. Reese Witherspoon

Color-blocking finesse - Louis Vuitton

Reese always manages to look sophisticated and elegant in almost all her red carpet moments, particularly the Oscars. This one is no exception. I love the cut and color-blocking of this dress. Her pretty smile & side-swept hair makes the best accessories for this one.

5. Anne Hathaway

Pretty in pink - Prada

Anne Hathaway got some flack for this gown but I like it.

Must admit, not her best Oscar look, but the dainty color and daring cut is perfect for someone so young and talented. A winner in my books in every way.

And oh, her Tiffany necklace was my favorite jewelry for the night.

5. Jennifer Garner

Violet beauty - Gucci

I'm no Jennifer Garner fan but I do admire her red carpet fashion sense and this one clearly shows that. I love the ruffles and softness of this Gucci creation, just beautiful.

4. Amy Adams

The only way to go grey - Oscar Dela Renta

Oscar at the Oscars, quite redundant no? But hey, this man is a genius.

 Amy pulled off this fluffy number with what may be a drab-of-a- color for a gown,  in a super gorgeous way. Love it. She truly looks like a Best Actress Nominee with this one.

3. Charlize Theron

How to wear white - Dior

One of my all-time faves at the red carpet. Her statuesque height and beautiful face just completes any look she carries down this aisle. I love this Dior creation, perfect for her super short hair.

2. Jessica Chastain

Classic elegance in copper - Armani

Truly, old Hollywood glamour at its best. I love, love this gown.

I would wear this in a heart beat! Pink beads overlying copper?! Unique and simply mind-boggling-ly gorgeous. This is Jessica Rabbit in the flesh!

1. Jennifer Lawrence

A memorable dress for a memorable night - Dior

And of course the big winner of the night, from head to toe is this number.

Red carpet -worthy in every aspect. This Dior dress is truly a winner in every sense, from the color combo to the cut, the fabric - PERFECT. I also adore the way she wore her diamond necklace, a real stunner. Jennifer Lawrence was a winner the moment she showed up in this gown!

 Of course there were some misses that hit the red carpet in my books. I think the only reason why I'm mentioning this is because sometimes it's not about the dress at all!

My  Not-so-favorites were:

1. Kristin Stewart

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Ok, I'm so bad for taking on a girl on crutches! BUT, it's not about the crutches or her limp or the dress-  it was because everytime she was focused on camera at the Oscars she just looked miserable!

 I know, I would probably go even if I were on whole body cast too if I were invited, but she's a famous movie star, she could go some other time! Whoever advised her to go was just selfish!

2. Barbra Streisand

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I love Barbra most definitely. But her look Oscar night was just the opposite of what I was talking about with dressing your age. She DID dress her age, but I think it was just too much her age.

Do you get what I mean? She sang fabulously though, brought me close to tears even.

3. Adele

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She is one of my absolute favorite singers right now, and her SKYFALL song is just phenomenal. But, I'm kinda getting tired with her red carpet looks, all look too similar to me.

I think she should talk to Olivia Spencer or Queen Latifah for some advise on how to do the red carpet differently next time around. :-(

4. Salma Hayek

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Yup, I'm following a trend here sort of, I am not loving BLACK this year at the Oscars.

Salma usually looks stunning on the red carpet, but this one just made her look shorter than she already is. Imagine Nicole wearing this, it will look a lot better. Not my fave on her.

5. Catherine Zeta Jones

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You know how much I love GOLD, but I think this one is a little too much don't you think?

It's already gold and adding the swirls just made it look a bit over-the-top for me.

6. Sandra Bullock

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Just don't like this one on Sandra at all. I don't k now if the its the bead overload or the see-through-ness of this one or her hair?!I just think she's done so much better before.

7. Melissa McCarthy

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 How NOT to drape and wear grey at the same time.

8. Heidi Klum

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I think it's too much gold and too much skin.

9. Amanda Seyfried

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I think this dress would've looked better in a different color and an on an older woman.

10. Helena Bonham Carter

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A great actress but has not been a great dresser for the past couple of years and this one proves it again.



How about you? What were your favorites? Any surprises with my choices? Do you agree? Any objections or violent reactions?

I enjoyed the over-all Academy Awards show too. I'm a Musical nut so this one definitely went over well with me. I got only 14/24 right on my choices though.

Anyway, there's always next year to look forward to!

Have a Wonderful Day!

DIY Monogram Pillow

If your a blogger or just plain design lover, I bet you've read this already...

Awesome team of John and Sherry Peterik of the popular blog YOUNG HOUSE LOVE (YHL)

I read thru this from cover to cover in a day, and there are so many awesome, do-able and definitely cute projects to do here.

The first one I tried is this...

#193 Sketch a Pillow

I already had the same pillow covers from IKEA and I always wanted to do something unique to it, something ME, something like this...

Yup, I made this and I am so happy and proud!

Always wanted monogrammed pillows

Here's how I did it using these materials...

Fabric pen from Amazon, the rest is from Steven's

I first folded out a plain copy paper into 4 equal parts for my pattern. 

Since I was planning a Diamond Monogram on my pillow, straight lines and equal measurements were a must.

Drew a diamond using the 4 mid-portions of the paper as guide

I then drew my monogram, copying some images from the internet..

I then photocopied my original 125% larger to fit my pillow nicely..

See the difference?

Then placed the graphite paper on top of the pillow,  then my copy, then traced away...

This is how it looked like once you remove the graphite paper. 

Then I colored away.

See?

TADA!

 I cut a cardboard triangle to trace my corners and make it all even,

 then I just followed the edges and colored free-handedly.

 I dried them overnight before I inserted the pillows in.

I erased the lines from the graphite paper using plain eraser and it worked!

BUT, it did remove some of my fabric color, so I had to re-color some parts . 

Not sure yet what will happen if I wash them, I think the graphite lines will come off better.

One for my hubby

And one for me!

I love that they look hand-made, not-perfect at all. 

As you can see, you can tell I only colored this thing but I LOVE THEM! 

My own monogrammed pillows MADE BY ME!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO SHERRY AND JOHN PETERSIK  for their wonderful book and all the inspiration! You GUYS ROCK!

Have a Wonderful Week!

Linking back to My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Make it Pretty Monday, Serenity now, Cozy Little House, A Stroll thru life & Carolyn's Homework

Loca for Lucite

Who isn't right?

I was browsing thru 1st Dibs  one day and  saw most of these gorgeous pieces that I'd like to share with you.

 Let's just say my mouth was "watering" just gazing at these marvels.

Bar Cart of my dreams

Dresser/drawer/buffet table - all around piece

Who knew Bar stools could look this elegant? - My Design chic
Chateau A'Gogo

Yes, I'll take this night table anytime ;-)

I'll eat here, thank you very much!

Aren't these perfect anywhere?!

Oh yes, I'll get all 8 please!

How can you not?!

Lucite furniture comes in all shapes and sizes and these are just some of the hundreds out there.

 

While browsing though, I spotted a few "ATYPICAL" pieces that are gorgeous too in their own right...

A definite YES, if I weren't carrying a bunch of old dollar bills and crappy phone inside!



Grogeous on it's own, but really don't think I'd hide anything in there!

Wouldn't you want to lounge in one of these? inside or out?

 

 

Yes, I'll sit at that one in any park!

 

How about this one? "Hello Invisible man? Are you there?!"

I can just see Lady Gaga or Sir Elton playing on this thing!

I wish to acquire a lucite piece that doesn't

cost as muh as any of these.

 

Right now, I am loving these acrylic pieces instead, that I have in my home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The HUNT is on!

 

 

Have a Marvelous Weekend!