Oddities and the Open Road

This is the freedom we experienced on the open road.  Just the desert sky and maybe a little too much vroom on the accelerator.

In Arizona, there were blue skies and cacti aplenty, and in Sedona, the cacti were covered in flowers and surrounded by red rock.

It was easy to get diverted by scenic turn-offs, national parks, and a natural phenomenon or two.  We had to constantly remind ourselves to keep our eye on the next destination point.

Meteor Crater, Arizona

New Mexico stayed true to its namesake between Santa Fe and the stunning plains it really was the Land of Enchantment. 

And what's a road trip without a few oddities to stop you in your tracks and keep you entertained?

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas

Creme de la Cakeball

As a lover of sweets, I would go so far as to say you have not lived unless you have tried a cakeball.  Yes, they are that good!


I was introduced to a cakeball at one of my best friend's wedding, when she served them as favors.  Everyone was obsessed, and if you weren't quick to take your favor, people stole them off the table right under your nose.


She ordered her cakeballs from Kruffles in Los Angeles.  

images via Kruffles

Could the designs be any cuter?

But it was Creme de la Cookie in Dallas that instilled in her a love for cakeballs, and at her insistence, I made an impromptu trip to try out her original inspiration myself.

Let me just say, you will know where to find me if you ever happen to be in Dallas.  

Monday Escapes

It’s Monday.  I'm in Dallas and it's cold.  So I am serving up another Monday Escape to an island locale.

Unlike the other Caribbean escape where there is no airport, you can fly directly to this island.  In fact, while descending into the airport you may feel as if you are going to land right on the beach.  A little further up the coast, you can feast on French pastries and enjoy the half topless/nude beach. 

Images via Travelmoon

 It’s St. Maarten/St. Martin, Netherland Antilles.


Stay warm this week!

Housewarming

Before I departed for Texas, I had the chance to stop in at one of my best friend's newly purchased first home.  


They are in the middle of doing their own renovation and the transformation is quite impressive.  (The previous owner had a predilection towards unsightly shades of oranges and yellows, the color of gourds).  I give so much credit to people who DIY renovations.  We went to a backsplash tiling class at Home Depot, got excited to tile everything, and ended up delegating all renovation duties to the professionals.  Oh well, maybe in my next lifetime!


Of course, we couldn't stop by empty-handed.  It is often difficult to choose the perfect housewarming gift.   I prefer to give something that brings good luck or contributes to feng shui.  Live plants enhance feng shui, so flowers or plants can be an easy go-to, but I decided on a succulent bouquet.  

Succulents far outlast flowers, which will be wilted and thrown away in less than a week, and they do not require the kind of dedication as keeping houseplants alive.  They only need direct sunlight once a day, and to be watered once every 7-10 days.  I think even I could manage that.

If you are in the San Diego area, there is a fabulous store in the Cedros Design District, Chicweed, with gorgeous succulents in sizes large and small, in different containers to suit your own tastes.  They also do custom arrangements.

Good-Bye Road Trip, I'm Ready to SniqueAway

Our road trip has ended, and we are here in Dallas, but I am never far away from pondering our next trip.  I am often asked how I find travel deals.  I can't say there is any one favorite website, but a good place to start if you're not set on a particular location, is a sample sale travel website.

Tripadvisor launched their sister website, SniqueAway (back in September), in the vein of Gilt Groupe, Rue La La, One Kings Lane, you get the picture.

They offer hotels at highly discounted rates for their members. Hotel sales are plucked from traveler's favorites on Tripadvisor.  If you want an invitation, just leave a message, and I will be sure to forward one on to you.

Some of the current and upcoming sales are:

Cap Maison in St. Lucia.

Enchantment Resort in Sedona 
(Wish this sale had started earlier)

The Carlyle in New York City

Winter Must-Haves

Winters in Southern California are pretty mild, so I realize there are some necessary purchases I will need to make in order to keep warm in Dallas.  Although the weather is often tamer than other parts of the U.S. (I'm not expecting any blizzards), they still have the occasional snowfall and much heavier rains than I am accustomed to.

Here are some of the items I have recently purchased or am lusting over.  

1.  An Umbrella-one that is stylish and won't invert, leaving you sopping wet in    

     the event of heavy winds.  Haymarket Check Walker With Coloured Trims 

2.  A Cashmere Sweater Dress-to wear over tights with boots.  
     Fair Isle Cashmere Sweater Dress
3.  A Faux Fur Vest- worn over a long-sleeved shirt when it's chilly or over a sweater when 
     it's especially cold.  Tinley Road Faux Fur Vest
4.  Rain Boots-for those aforementioned heavy Dallas rains.  Hunter Wellies
5.  A Beanie-everyone knows the key to keeping warm is having your head covered, and this   
     particular hat looks soft and comfy and has just the right amount of sparkle for the    
     season.  Crisp Gleam Beanie
6.  A Winter Coat with a Hood-preferably in an in-color for the season, i.e. military green.  
     Faux Fur Hooded Anorak


As cliche as it is, my first purchase in Dallas will be the classic Hunter Boots. 

The last Fall/Winter I spent in Dallas, I did not have a pair of rain boots so ended up at my SMU law school class with muddy flats and jeans soaked up to my knees.  I will not be making that mistake again.

Home Tour: Master

We have not exactly been staying in dingy transit motels, but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed.  Next stop on our Home Tour: Master Bedroom and Bathroom (also see here, here, and here).

But first, some of our inspiration.

I wanted a very soft spa-like palette, a light blue/green wall, keeping the rest of the room in whites a la this room below (with added grays).  

Who doesn't like Crate and Barrel's Colette Bed?  

I also found this headboard at Ethan Allen.  

But with our whole remodel, my husband's bed won out for budget purposes.  He's had his bed since his late teenage years (I don't have a picture at this time unfortunately.)  The headboard and footboard looked like a square garden trellis with a dark/black wood stain, so we upholstered with a white linen fabric and added nailheads to get the look of the above favorites.

As for more budgetary constraints, my nightstands and dresser are from Ikea.  Since, I have seen this particular Ikea furniture pop up a lot in the design world.  I switched out the hardware for a more streamlined, clean look.

1. via Caitlin Wilson Design 2. via Lonnymag

At last, here are some pictures from our Master Bedroom that is only a distant dream, for now.