I caught this from my perch on the sofa. As you see the iPhone 4S camera still has some limitations. Wish this was clearer.
This is a sweet moment, so I used it anyway. Zira loves to perch on Y's leg since she was a kitten. At this moment, she kept refusing to get off as she was enjoying her daddy time. :)
Taken with: iPhone 4S
Apps used: ProCamera, Camera+, iWatermark
A snippet of our mantelscape. As some of you know from his blog, my husband goes by Yesmar online, which happens to be his name backwards. My name starts with the letter Z and Z has been a long time nickname from friends and family. Also, when writing out our name together it naturally tends to come out as Ramsey & Zarina. I think you get the idea. Basically since we met, we have been Y & Z. I basically love this and take it as fate more than coincidence.
The owl couple are the sweetest wedding favors I've ever received, given to us at my friend's wedding a few years back. They were handmade in Peru, I believe out of tiny gourds, and have sterling silver accents. So awesome!
Taken with: iPhone 4S
Apps used: ProCamera, Snapseed, Camera+, iWatermark
This started as just an unplanned last minute photo idea. It was after 10pm and I had forgotten to take a photo for the day. Y was wearing a pumpkin colored shirt and I noticed when he walked into the room how well it went with our painting. I basically begged him to let me make him the subject of today's photo. Very reluctantly and making me promise I would be quick about it (he was in the middle of coding), he conceded, not excited about it at all.
I'm so glad he did as this is now my favorite image and with my follow up image tomorrow, it's turned into a meaningful project piece. Y really likes it as well and is very happy with how it all turned out.
We recently returned from a long deserved trip to my beloved San Francisco. While there, we ate ourselves into bliss, reminisced at our old haunts and I got a fabulous haircut with my long time hair guru, Addison, of Addison Salon. No one does my hair like he does!
If you are, or plan to be, in San Francisco here are just a few recommendations:
Breakfast:
Rose's Café ~ Breakfast Pizza: I love the Smoked Salmon with Crème Fraîche & Scrambled Eggs version and Y likes the Smoked Ham, Fontina & Eggs.
Smoked Ham Breakfast Pizza
*photo from their site: I was too busy eating
Red Door Cafe: French Toast Josephine. GET IT! Lives up to all the hype.
Freanch Toast Josephine
Y and a very "special" cup of coffee
Y had some coffee served up with massive humor and I had an amazing ice tea with fresh mint. Service is fantastic and fun. This place is tiny, no more than 12, so be prepared. We went on a weekday late morning and had no wait. This is what you expect of fun funky SF breakfast experience.
Dinner:
The Elite Cafe: OMG! A must do! Get a reservation and order this:
Beignets with Triple Espresso Bean Ice Cream & Fudge Sauce
Meetinghouse Biscuits
*You can get these frozen to bake up at home, yummers.
Elite’s Infamous Deviled Eggs
Beignets with Triple Espresso Bean Ice Cream & Fudge Sauce
*all photos from yelp. Again, I was too busy eating.
Every single thing was beyond yum. Share all items except for the main course. You may have fried okra left over.
Café Jacqueline: SOUFFLÉS!!!!! Only soufflés, pretty much, and they are friggin' amazing. Get a reservation and plan for a leisurely dinner, 2+ hours.
Menu
*photo from yelp
We ordered the Seafood and the Chocolate soufflés to share. Yum, yum, yum and YUMs! I was too mesmerized during the dishing out of the seafood soufflé to take a photo but here is our chocolate soufflé.
Chocolate Soufflé
Personally, if I could, I would order a seafood soufflé all to myself and skip the chocolate because I was all about that seafood soufflé. Such cheezy dreamy goodness!!
When we returned home my new Rx glasses were ready. They are by the Japanese brand, Kamuro.
style: anillo
color: K60E
me with new hair & new glasses
*It's very hard to get a good shot of my hair because it's so black.
a better view of the texture in my hair
I am also trying out some new bifocal contacts, so far they seem promising. Haven't been able to wear contacts for a couple of years now. It's awesome because I can actually see when applying my eye makeup and makeup in general. It makes a major difference, LOL!!!
me in bifocal contacts
Ys first reaction to the photo above of me in contacts was that I looked like a Cylon because of the circular light reflection in my eyes. I'm hoping he meant the humanoid version and not the toaster version. Gotta lurve your geek.
My hair was reaching my waist, as I had been growing it out since it had been butchered, and Addison cut it to where he could fix it, which ended up shorter than we originally hoped. To get my hair cut so drastically and get new glasses in the same week was a bit too much all at once. Even myself in contacts was too much. It's taken a couple of weeks for me to recognize myself in the mirror and feel happy with everything. It was such a drastic change that I started to question my decisions. Luckily, Y was around to reassure me. Y actually picked out my glasses as I could not see what they looked like on me when I tried them on. He picked out the perfect pair! These are the first non-lucite glasses I've owned since childhood. I love how they are a modern nod to cat glasses. I love classic cat glasses but they look horrible on me. These are a perfect blend of sass and modernism.
I hope everyone had a very happy holiday filled with love, happiness and some wishes come true. We celebrated our first holidays in our new home and as husband and wife. We managed to find the perfect tree for ourselves, out of the blue, the week before Christmas:
It's number 34. This not only solved the need for a modern look for us but it flat packs away, is made from recycled & recyclable aluminum, made in Seattle (lucky us!) and we will own it for all the years ahead making it very Eco friendly. I already owned those green strung lights but eventually I want to switch them out to white strings and add some "fancy" type lights akin to those that look like stars or snowballs. We saw some great ones in Paris which we would have scooped up were it not for the voltage and plug differences. I found the icicle ornaments at Micheal's. I need to get better hooks as these were tiny and were too easy to pop off. Luckily the icicles themselves are very sturdy having survived a few death leaps to the hardwood floor.
Y+Z Reindeer: Pottery Barn reindeer decked out with mini ornaments found at Micheal's.
This year I used a large round vase to hold the Christmas cards. I really like how it worked. It was like a giant colorful ornament and I could add/pull out cards to show people very easily without the usual cluttered display. I thought of adding "snowflakes" to the bottom of the bowl but resisted knowing they would probably end up everywhere and guess who would have to clean them up.
We picked up these Eiffel Tower cards in Paris during our honeymoon.
Skully Santa made his usual appearance. This year he actually has a hat that fits. I think it's a baby hat, also found at Micheal's.
We bought this in Paris on our honeymoon as our first ornament.
The heart says Noël.
Our friend Ivett surprised us with this awesome gift. She hand painted this ornament for us! Y is a Siamese cat (like Zira) and I am the black kitty (I've always thought of myself as a former black cat). Notice the Seattle Needle skyline and Y's tail making the L in Mr. Lucky.
This is the back. Notice my tail making the M in Mrs. Lucky and the heart on our new home. When I opened the package and beheld this I started weeping because it's so wonderful and so much thought was put into it. Even the color choices; blue for Y and Pink for me, our favorite colors. I've known Ivett since college. I have the best friends! She is a very talented artist specializing in avian and wilderness art. Check out her site: AvianAndWildernessart.com
Z Stocking
Y Stocking
Zira Stocking.
Notice the attached felt fish. The stocking says, "Treats For A Nice Kitty" and has two pockets in the front as well as the main sock pocket. Found this at the Macy's Holiday Lane store. Could not resist.
Our Christmas Eve Dinner:
Grass fed New York steaks, grilled asparagus and my famous creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
Holy Smokes this was a wonderful surprise!! We had been to dinner at Bellevue Square (local mall) with my mom and my niece. We walked out of the restaurant and with no clue of what was happening, toy soldiers and majorettes were handing us blow horns. It was a big party that happens every night at 7pm during the holidays. After Christmas they do a New Year's every night (Celebration Lane) through the 31st. Tons of kids (big and small), music, Snow queens, Mouse Kings, Drummers, Sugar Plum Fairies, AMAZING! They even make it snow. I only had my iPhone so my photos & video aren't so good as it was night but here is a promo video:
Can't wait to take advantage of the Snowflake Lane next year for Santa's arrival and nightly party with my niece, of course. I'm sure we will also hit the Celebration Lane as well.
It finally snowed while we were around to enjoy it! We missed the previous snow this year. We were in Paris. We left Paris and it then snowed there. Totally thought we missed out on snow this year. My niece and I created Snowball the snowcat in our front yard. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrr or actually Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
We finally had our first fire in our fireplace. I have now mastered creating a roaring fire. Wow, it's hard work. That's what I get for wanting to learn how to do it.
2010 was an amazing year for us. Filled with surprises (our new home being the best surprise), love (our marriage especially), adventures (from Lake Geneva to Paris) and visits from family and friends. We really feel blessed.
In 2011 we hope to continue on this path and build on this wonderful foundation. New things are afoot business-wise (check out Calific.com for something Y & I are working on together). We are trying to really focus on our health this year. Paris let us know how far we are from our 20s, it wasn't just celebrating my birthday either lol, and how sedentary we have become since leaving San Francisco.
I wish us all a happy, prosperous and healthy 2011!
We are back from our honeymoon in Paris. It was wonderful and I have much to share with you regarding Paris and our wedding for that matter.
We have been back for a week but I caught some sort of head cold as soon as we got back. It made my head feel like a 500 pound anvil atop my body and laid me out for a week. Better AFTER the honeymoon for sure but still sucky.
I'm now in the midst of getting the house ready for our first Christmas in our new home and as husband and wife. The last nine months have been a whirlwind of amazing and wonderful!
My shops have been closed for most of 2010 and although I do miss it, I also have enjoyed not being a slave to it. It's very strange not having to make post office runs everyday at this time of year. I'm now revamping everything about my business and how I was going about it. Thinking whether or not to re-open. If I do, I will be doing things very differently. One of the cool things I experienced in Paris was checking out Tmode, a handmade fashion and decor expo that was taking place up the street from our hotel in the Marais district. It was very inspiring and it made my creative juices flow. There were many jewelry designers and it was a bit of an ego boost to see that so many styles/concepts I have been putting out for a couple of years were being shown here in Paris. It felt like a stamp of approval in a round-about sort of way. I'll take it. [wink] Y said, unprompted, that I could easily show my stuff next to the beautiful wares showcased at the event. We are now trying to figure out how to retire to Paris.
It was my third trip to Paris and I discovered so many new places. Much to share, so stay tuned.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We ended up munching on our favorite breakfast (more later on all this), Gyros, baguette sandwiches and Pierre Hermé macarons that day. We were very thankful and felt very blessed.
I must get back to getting the house in order. Too much gets out of control when you go away for so long and are then sick for a week after, sheesh!
Had a wee date with Y last Sunday. I've been going through a bunch of my stuff and I turned up one of my old favorite tee's. I haven't worn this in ages. Back before Y and I had actually met or I even knew of him, he had seen a picture of me in this tee. One day, after we had already started dating, we were having lunch at Max's at the Opera Cafe in San Francisco when Y looked over at me in this tee and said, "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to be in front of this shirt." .......... [butterflies]
Here's the original photo Y saw:
(Z ~ circa April 2006)
Now 4.5 years later, we are soon to be wed. He makes me happy like in fairy tales.
Trying to get all of Christmas in order, Y's Bday surprises and stocking up the house in case we get snowed in again this year. It's sooooooooooo cold and last year, my first winter in Seattle, I was totally caught off guard. It almost became a situation. I'll spare you all the TMI, heh heh.
I have both Y's and my 'business' holiday cards ready to go. I designed both and had those printed up like a smart girl before going off to NC for Thanksgiving. I am working on my handmade cards now. I just could not find time before now. I really need to prepare these sooner from now on. Here's a peek:
I am half way ready to send out my swap partners holiday gifty ;P I also need to create a jewelry piece for an auction by the 18th! The actual auction will be sometime in February. I have a few ideas but I really just need some time to be able to sit and create something extraordinary.
By the way, Y has posted a map he created under some groovy circumstances over on his blog. If you are or know a D&D fan, go and download it. It's just a sample of the kind of maps he has been creating.
We are just back from an extended Thanksgiving holiday with Y's mom C in Winston Salem. I'll post more about that this weekend. Before we left it was my birthday. Seriously, these numbers are getting harder for me to comprehend as they indicate serious adulthood and everywhere I go I feel like one of the kids. It helps that people think I am 10-20 years younger than my actual age, depending on outfit and how giggly I am, thanks to mom's good genes and sunscreen! I am looking forward to cashing in on those AARP discounts soon though, LOL!!! I may actually have to be carded with any luck!
One of the best things I did for my birthday was have a weekend sleepover with my 5, soon to be 6, year old niece. She brought me these lovely tulips and massive hugs and sweetness for my birthday.
It was so much fun. She is super creative and has better drawing skills than I ever did at her age. Part of our Saturday was spent designing and creating two necklaces for her. My studio in the attic is a favorite for my little munchkin. I let her pick out components from several drawers.
Here is the first necklace featuring Bambi with a blue flower and heart on a pale green sparkly chain.
The second necklace features a large Hello Kitty, large black stars, blue beads & hearts, trumpet flowers and a vintage pink chain. Both of these were totally designed by my little niece with some major editing coaxed on by yours truly. She was so proud. YAYs!
I finally scored the ice cream birthday cake I have been craving, yummers!
...and Y did in fact purchase Blackie for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can totally tell if Y is hiding something (neither of us can ever get through any gift giving event without doling up the goods ahead of time because we both suck at keeping secrets from one another) and when I asked him if he had purchased Blackie he totally acted in that weird way but the thing is I still fell for it because I thought there was no possible way Y had time to buy it. Turns out, when we came home that day, he scurried down to his office and bought it straight away. Y was back upstairs with me in the kitchen within a blink of an eye. I was sure Blackie was lost forever.
Now Mochi and Blackie shall be together forever. They make the best kitty couple evers. Plus, pink and black are my favorite colors and especially together, YAYs!!! Smoooooooooooooch,
Y just ran up here (my studio/office is in the attic) to have me snap some photos of his hand in this position. It's for one of his many projects. I love it. Especially the scratches left by Zira near his wrist, lol.
LOL, we took M&X to Archie McPhee's. Our purchases tend to be skull heavy but M&X purchases were mainly on the bacon side. Must be a result of being pork deprived as they currently live in Egypt. :P
I am half way ready to send out my swap partners holiday gifty ;P I also need to create a jewelry piece for an auction by the 18th! The actual auction will be sometime in February. I have a few ideas but I really just need some time to be able to sit and create something extraordinary.
It was so much fun. She is super creative and has better drawing skills than I ever did at her age. Part of our Saturday was spent designing and creating two necklaces for her. My studio in the attic is a favorite for my little munchkin. I let her pick out components from several drawers.
The second necklace features a large Hello Kitty, large black stars, blue beads & hearts, trumpet flowers and a vintage pink chain.
Both of these were totally designed by my little niece with some major editing coaxed on by yours truly. She was so proud. YAYs!
...and Y did in fact purchase Blackie for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried really hard to not go for pretty.
