365 Days In Colorado

Current Obsessions

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:55:36 -0600

The See You Next Time at Salt. I liked it but I didn’t love it.

Sara threw the most amazing birthday party for her dog Parker. Before you’re like…wait…she threw a party for her dog…go over and read the story. Her love for Parker is adorable and speaks volumes about her big heart. My favorite detail is that she had a step-and-repeat for people to take pictures with their dogs. Speaking of dogs, Clare and Drew got a new puppy, Boris von Snicklefritz, and he is a puppy heartbreaker.

There is an upcoming farm dinner on June 23rd in Boulder where the meals are paired with jazz music. It’s the first pop-up dinner in a series called Chromatic Kitchen, and I am hoping I get tickets.

I read Lean In finally. Wow. I can’t believe that this book was ever controversial. It had such an awesome message in the book. She was perfectly clear that everyone should be confident to make their own choices about their career paths, but that if you wanted the top rung, here were some things to think about.

I’m late to the party on this but the Instagram feed of Vogue photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank is a nice dose of eye candy.

Film on the Rocks, a series of films shown on Red Rocks, just released their summer schedule. Tickets for Princess Bride are purchased.

My company is holding a conference called Big Boulder in three weeks and the speaker lineup is sick. David Karp from Tumblr is speaking, as are some very impressive people from Twitter, Facebook, WordPress and more. Not too bad for a small 50+ person company based in the west.

I ordered two new dresses from J. Crew Factory this week with their awesome sale. I will probably need to branch out from navy at some point but now is not that time. (Polka dots // stripes)

Women Against Scurvy - Defending Jacob

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:53:00 -0600

We had another meeting of my book club, Women Against Scurvy, last week and it was down to the wire to finish the book, but I made it! I was reading until a half hour before the book club but I have yet to shame myself for showing up.

This month’s choice was Defending Jacob, and I liked it way more than last month’s pick of The Dinner. Great twist at the end! It had a very similar thread between the two — nurture vs nature. However, I’m not sure I’d recommend the book. I liked but I didn’t like it enough to advise you to pick up your own copy.

Better than the book was the company and the food. Stephanie hosted and made chicken orzo soup, roasted vegetable salad and the world’s best lemon cake. Killer.

The cutest part of our book club is that all of our boys get together while we’re meeting. There are no books involved, but from what I can gather, there is alcohol.

Next month we’re reading Middlesex. This is spectacular because I’ve already read it, and will not be rushing to finish the night before.

Kate Spade Surprise Sale My co-worker was telling me how sad she...

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:11:11 -0600

Kate Spade Surprise Sale

My co-worker was telling me how sad she was that a bag she wanted from Kate Spade had sold out, and I told her to cheer up because the Kate Spade Surprise Sale usually happens in June. Which was awesome because guess what was in my Facebook feed when I got home?

The Kate Spade Surprise Sale.

Surprise! The green number above is on its way to me. Happy Monday indeed. The rest pictured are ones I was definitely considering as well. Such a sucker for bright colors. So definitely do not “need” this purse.

On My Mind

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:40:53 -0600

Colorado on the second day of May. Taken from the awesome Instagram of Drew Frey.

My co-worker hates shopping for clothes, so I recommended that she signup for StitchFix and they send you five items to try each month, and you can send what you don’t like back. It was so much fun to see what they sent her, and she decided to keep all 5 items. The experience was flawless and they even sent index cards on how she can wear the outfits.

I think we finally settled on a wedding venue. At first, we figured we’d have the ceremony outside and the reception inside. And then the most miserable April to have ever existed happened, and we decided we needed an indoor ceremony for a Colorado wedding in April.

Whit made homemade nutella, and it makes me wish she still lived in Denver so I could beg her to make me some. (Fun fact: The nutella made in America has trans fat in it while the Italian stuff doesn’t.)

Sarah blogged about the amazing cake pops she made for Beerster. Sarah may be in fact a certified genius when it comes to cake pops.

When Vikas and I actually get to move into our house, I want a tiny library. We will likely build the tiny library long before our house is finished.

High Fashion’s Ambassador to the Midwest. This article on Ikram Goldman of Chicago is an awesome weekend read. (courtesy of erehwyna)

This weekend, I get to meet one of my closest friend’s baby boy. He’s already six-months old! Where has the time gone? When I realize things like this, I realize I need to do a better job of making time for people I love.

When I was reading LeCatch, I saw this dress from Old Navy and stopped everything I was doing to purchase it. Dreaming of strapless dresses while walking to work in snow.

Dyed Doily Garland

Fri, 03 May 2013 07:31:09 -0600

For Bridget’s shower, when we decided on a tea party theme, I immediately thought a doily garland would be perfect. I also remembered that my friend Jackie had dyed doilies previously. The bride’s wedding colors are purple, so I decided to dye the edges of the doilies purple

Supplies:

4 packs of Wilton doilies
Food coloring
String
Hot glue gun
Wax paper

Mix up a bowl of food coloring. I wanted saturated colors so I dumped in a lot to the point it was very dark purple. Fold the garlands in half and then dip in the edges. I went through about a pack of doilies before I figured out much to dip in without having it bleed too much. Let them dry on wax paper (takes a couple hours). The colors changed a lot when they dried.

Once they’re dry, open them up and dab hot glue at each of the ends and then stick the string in. I also glued the bottom together.

Tea Party Bridal Shower

Wed, 01 May 2013 08:36:21 -0600

Guys! Guess what!!! There was finally an opportunity to use my British royal family commemorative teacups. My sweet friend Bridget is getting married in a month, and my friend Cara and I teamed up to throw her a tea party themed shower.

This is Bridget! The first time we met was as the first day of being an account coordinator at a PR agency. She told me she had the same birthday as me. I can’t tell you how lucky I was to have Bridget as a friend while navigating my twenties. Her heart and compassion have been invaluable to me.

I handled decorations and Cara handled food. The scones she made? Ahhh-mazing.

I had big plans to sew gingham napkins for the tea party. Instead I just cut up gingham fabric, which got the job done. The purple suitcases are from Shop Sweet Lulu. Also, even though I work in a fairly serious job, sometimes when my co-worker travels to London, I ask him if they can pick up a commemorative Diamond Jubilee teacup. Thanks Seth!

Cara made this really excellent strawberry sangria! The purple straws are also from Shop Sweet Lulu. Every time I order from them, I wish I did a bigger order.

I made three kinds of garlands. The purple circle garland in the first picture, a dyed doily garland and a purple ribbon garland.

For party favors, I wanted to give out tea towels after seeing this tutorial on stenciled tea towels. First, I tried silk printing use Martha Stewart stencils. And….after I only got three out of many to work out, I gave up. I cut two hearts out of parchment paper and used those as stencils. Really, it’s the thought that counts…right?

The best part about meeting with our architect recently is that...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:17:17 -0600

The best part about meeting with our architect recently is that we found out we have an attic that is actually in good condition. And by good condition, I mean there isn’t anything gross up there and there are floors. No dead animals FTW! So obviously, I began thinking we should turn it into a shabby chic attic wonderland. Which will be a little tough because the ceilings aren’t as wide as those pictured above and I don’t think there are windows. But that isn’t enough to stop me from endlessly surfing shabby chic attic pictures on Pinterest.

Photo Sources: Blue Attic, Twin Bed Attic Room, Attic Library, Daybed in Attic, and White Minimalist Attic.

Women Against Scurvy: The Dinner

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:07:19 -0600

My book club, Women Against Scurvy, met last week. This month’s book was The Dinner by Herman Koch. The night before as I was plotting out whether I had enough time to make a cake after work for our dinner, I realized one small detail. I hadn’t read the book.

You might be able to get away with not reading the book in other book clubs, but the Women Against Scurvy are very dedicated to not only drinking but actually reading the book. Because I am unable to stay up past 11 pm, I woke up at 4 am to start reading the book since I had a press announcement hitting the wire at 6 am. And the truth is, I just wasn’t into the book at all. I figured it was the time I was reading it and because I was rushing to finish it. None of the characters were sympathetic or believable.

So I was relieved when I got to book club, and the verdict was unanimous that no one liked the book. The good news is at least this book didn’t have me bawling through two airports like last month’s book.

Thanks to Sarah for hosting! You make a killer dinner!

Weekend Ruminations & Links

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:42:48 -0600

Little Man Ice Cream in Denver. Get the salted oreo if it’s available.

My friend Benjamin is backpacking the world, and he’s taking some incredible photos along the way. Check out his recent trips to Siem Reap and Northern Thailand. Speaking of travel, Sarah Jane is doing a lot of travel for her job (currently in Buenos Aires) and is going to be blogging at SarahJane.co. Rob and Emily are also in Thailand right now during a six-week trip to Asia and their pictures on Instagram are making me want to book trips. right. this. minute. And one last link on travel, these panos from Iceland remind why I love that country so much.

This week I went to lunch with Liz Kantner from Dance to the Radio. There is something so nice in meeting with someone face to face.

I am crazy in love with this floral banner from Oh Happy Day.

We met with our architect/contractor this weekend to go over the initial plans and found two options we really like. Now the question is do we gut the house or do we gut the house and do an extension. I feel so much confidence in who we picked and that is helping immensely. Either way, I think we’ll be happy. The worst part is now they’ve told us to plan a year for the renovations, which is making me incredibly itchy. I am ready for a house to entertain guests and also to not have my stuff divided between my place and Vikas’ place.

Eat Drink Create

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:29:00 -0600

At then end of March, I went to a fantastic blogger meetup called “Eat Drink Create” and I have been meaning to blog about it but never got around to it. Then the hosts blogged about it this week and I was like…huzzah…I am not behind yet.

Anyway, the awesome Erin from Art Social and Lexy from the Proper Pinwheel threw a great meetup at West Elm. It was full of awesome snacks and awesome people and we made paper lanterns covered in fringe. (Erin’s roundup and Lexy’s roundup of the event.) Rebecca from Manzanita and I drove over to the event together, and she is so talented and inspiring to be around. I love her photography.

There is nothing that makes me happier than free stuff! And guys. Their swag bags were awesome. A flower brooch from Band.do, free crafting supplies, free tote bag. <3 Also, Katie from Lemon Jitters put together really cute magnets and put together a tutorial. I used my paper lantern for Beerster and my baker’s twine schwag at the candy bar.

Last fall I went to another blogger meetup and I was blown away by all the awesome local bloggers I met (outside of tech). There are some really talented ladies out there. If you’re interested in going to the next Eat Drink Create follow Erin and Lexy on Twitter for when they announce the next one!

This weekend was my first farmer’s market of the season. I...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:05:14 -0600

This weekend was my first farmer’s market of the season. I am biased but I think Boulder has one of the best in the country. There is no better way then to kick off the weekend with a breakfast sandwich from the ModMarket booth. Carbs and eggs are pretty much my two favorite things combined.

Some of my other favorites include the sourdough and jalapeno bread from Udis, the granola from Breadworks, the peach jam from Elas Family Farm, the chevre from Haystack Goat Cheese, the Vietnamese iced tea, and pretty much any of the produce that is in season. Also, this time they had artists and I was crazy for the scarves from Cloth & Ink.

Also, I can’t wait for peonies and peaches to be in season. <3

I have tried every restaurant in downtown Boulder. Literally....

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:47:39 -0600

I have tried every restaurant in downtown Boulder. Literally. Every single restaurant. Sometimes when I see someone check into some place new on Foursquare I get really excited because I think there is a new restaurant and then it ends up being someone’s house or other such nonsense. I crave new experiences, so sometimes Boulder can be a little tough since new restaurants don’t open up that often.

Despite having tried all of the restaurants, I really wanted to go to Taste of Pearl because at least the food would be in different venues (downtown stores) paired with Colorado wines. And you know what? It was awesome. We went into so many stores I had never bothered going in before. I also got acquainted with Colorado’s surprisingly many wineries, which were better than I remembered.

Participating restaurants were Frasca, Beehive, Pizzeria Locale, Oak, Kitchen Next Door, Mateo, Aji, Brasserie1010, Flagstaff House, Q’s, Riffs and Salt! On the good news front, Mateo is opening up for brunch.

Cheers to new experiences! Thanks to Joni for being my partner in crime as always!

I Have Been A Fool for Lesser Things

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 07:20:00 -0600

The tomato bisque with goat cheese profiteroles from Brasserie1010.

After a week of being snowed in and absolute cabin fever, I am very much looking forward to getting outside today. First on the agenda is the Boulder Farmer’s Market and maybe a hike.

Several years ago I met Janette Crawford through my friends Emily and Rob. She is an awesome new mother, blogger and co-founder of StoreEnvy. A beautiful scarf she designed is featured on DesignMom and you can purchase it through LiveFashionable, which supports sustainable business in Africa. The site has some really beautiful scarfs (and remind me of LemLem).

I love all things Kate Spade, so this DIY Tutorial on creating Kate Spade style ballet flats from Oh Sweet Joy is awesome.

I was researching craft stores in Japan and Hong Kong and came across this blog. Love the party hats with the faces on them. I am hoping to do a China trip in September or October, but am thinking it is fairly unlikely.

I found a new local blog, A Denver Home Companion, that I absolutely am in love with. I am a big giant tourist in my own city and always love following people who go on adventures.

My first wedding-related purchase came in the mail and it is so heavy I have no idea how I’m going to get it from work to home. Speaking of which… Yesterday, I saw the Gilt alert flash on my phone that BHLDN was having a sale on Gilt. Picked up these beauties and some other party goodies. <3

Summer of Awesomeness

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 08:22:00 -0600

It snowed in Colorado yesterday. Again. For the third day in the row. In April. We’ve had an incredibly dry winter, and every week I check the drought monitor, so I know we need the moisture. But I am seriously at my breaking point because my least favorite thing in the world is cleaning and after that it is scraping the snow off of the car.

So I thought I would make a list of things I am looking forward to this spring and summer in Colorado when the sunshine hits. Do you hear me Mother Nature??? I have plans, so step aside and let me enjoy myself.

Taste of Pearl Street (Boulder/April 21st) - A bunch of restaurants set up food and wine inside shops, so you can graze on food while shopping. What’s not to love?
Spring Heritage Day at Walker Ranch (Boulder/April 28th) - I’m a dork, so what did you expect? A day dedicated to celebrating the pioneers in Boulder? Please let me get to make my own candles or such thing.
Asian Food Bazaar (Arvada/May 4th) - This amazing Japanese Methodist church in Arvada hosts awesome events including an upcoming Asian Food Bazaar.
Huevos Revueltos Lecture Series at the MCA (May 30th) -José Noe Suro of Ceramica Suro discusses his Tlaquepaque-based ceramics factory while making tacos for the audience. You hade me at ceramics.
Lyons Farmette Farm-to-Table Dinner (Lyons/June 5th) - They hold several farm tables throughout the summer, and I’m hoping the first one in June isn’t sold out yet. This is where we took our class on raising chickens.
Mapleton Hill Rummage Sale (Boulder/June 8th) - The wealthy residents of Mapleton unload their belongings so you can buy it for an awesome price.
Mapleton Whittier Garden Tour (Boulder/June 8th) - Boulder has some incredible gardens and this tour lets you traipse through other people’s homes. And it benefits the local elementary school.
Greek Festival (Denver/June 14-16th) - You haven’t lived until you’ve had a Loukoumade, fried dough covered in honey, sugar and nuts.
Ballet in the Park (Boulder/June 23) - Free ballet performance in the Boulder Bandshell.
Firefly Market (Boulder/June 29-30th) - Amazing handmade market in Boulder.
Horseshoe Market (Denver/July 13th) - A handmade market in Denver. I haven’t been to this one but have heard awesome things about it.
Film on the Rocks (Morrison/Schedule Not Announced) - I am not a huge concert goer but it is awesome to catch a classic movie at Red Rocks.
A Midsummer’s Night Dream at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival (Boulder/Aug 7) - CU Boulder does an incredible job of putting together this long-time festival.
High Street Shoppes (Boulder/Ongoing) - Pop-up shop in Boulder by two decorators with all kinds of awesome home furnishings. Get on their email list to find out the next date.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

The Japanese Doll Festival at the Simpson United Methodist Church in March

Hydrangeas and Ranunculus

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 07:30:00 -0600

One of the visions I had for Easter was to do a display of blue ombre vases with white flowers. So I began frequenting Boulder’s Goodwill looking for glass vases in multiples and amassed quite a collection. (Related: where do crafters store all of their craft supplies? Because I feel my craft supplies are now my landlord and I am some kind of tenant relegated to the corner.)

So I arranged them how I thought I’d like to display them and subdivided them into five groups that I would spray paint different shades of blue.

But…when I started spray painting them different shades, it felt like the blues were all colors from the eighties gone horribly wrong. So I thought I might stick with the mint color and then do the rest in gold, but when I got down to it, the mint color didn’t feel soft enough. So then I gave up. And I spray painted all of the vases champagne gold from Home Depot. Despite being a failed craft, it turned out alright.

Also, because of where they were placed in the empty lot next door, no less than five people asked if someone died and if it was a memorial.

Rainbow Easter Decorations

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 07:23:00 -0600

As I mentioned in my Peeps Pinatas post, I really wanted to step up this year’s decorations for our annual Easter brunch. We host around 50 people who aren’t with their families on Easter, and I love for people to walk in and feel a sense of awe and specialness.

It helped immensely that I stored last year’s decorations. In January, I started working on decorations for this. I recently stumbled upon a post from Youremyfave which described my decorating strategy for Easter perfectly - think in multiples and rainbow-ize that biz.

If you’re up for more party goodness you can follow my blog with Bloglovin!

I used the Paper Rosettes from last year. I used paper from Paper Source and they have a great tutorial on their website.

I made rainbow paper chains last year and used Martha Stewart’s Cherry Blossom Deep Edger Punch for a creative touch.

It is driving me nuts that these aren’t perfectly straightened but lining up the plastic eggs from Target had a big impact for a cheap and easy tablescape.

A mimosa bar for our guests with orange juice, blood orange juice and grapefruit juice and crazy amounts of champagne. We still have 11 bottles to kick.

I purchased the awesome polka dot straws from Shop Sweet Lulu.

Used rainbow pinwheels to line the walkup. I reused last year’s and made about 25 more using card stock from Michaels.

I wish I had a better picture of this but I created a rainbow crepe paper background for the candy table. I used thecrepe paper tutorial from Rachel of Heart of Light. I glued the crepe paper on dowels and then used non-adhesive hooks to hold them. The pink cupcake wrappers are also from Shop Sweet Lulu, and put bunny ears and tails on them. I hoard apothecary jars all year long.

I color sorted a lot of the candy for a better visual effect.

My friend Sarah from Domestic Dilettante made Easter themed cake pops that turned out amazing.

Lined up plastic Easter baskets in the entryway.

Loved how these turned out! Peeps pinatas tutorial if you’re interested.

I lined up Bunny Ears from the dollar aisle at Target for our guests to wear!

Once a year, Denver holds “Doors Open Denver” where...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:27:14 -0600

Once a year, Denver holds “Doors Open Denver” where the city opens its doors to the general public for a sneak peek behind many places you can’t normally visit. Museums, performing arts venues, hotels, offices, apartment buildings, historic homes all let tourists sneak a look. It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year since I love all things historical, touristy and behind the scenes. Each year new places pop up so it never gets boring and there are usually 80+ buildings so you have so many choices.

My favorite of this year was the Dikeou Collection. It was an incredible modern art collection that I never knew existed until yesterday. They had a car entirely made by cardboard, the amazing ginormous inflatable pink bunnies and what was essentially a musical chandelier. In years past, I’ve gotten an awesome ghost tour at the Crawford Hill Mansion, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Ellie Caulkins, a look into the old tunnel system that ran beneath Denver during the Prohibition and toured the suites of the Brown Palace. I also tour the Governor’s Mansion each year.

it is still going on today, so if you’re Sunday is free, be sure to check it out.

Royal Brunch Punch

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:14:48 -0600

My friend Rob made an incredible brunch punch for Beerster. This was wonderful for several reasons.

One: It tasted awesome

Two: It was very boozy

Three: We ended up with 11 extra bottles of champagne. Thanks Rob!

The recipe is as follows:

Royal Brunch Punch

25 oz Earl Grey tea
1 bottle Lillet Blanc
1 bottle Hendrick’s Gin
1 bottle Solerno
18 3/4 oz fresh meyer lemon juice
12 1/2 oz orange marmalade
12 1/2 oz soda water

Brew tea and set aside to cool. Combine all ingredients except soda in a punch bowl with a few large blocks of ice and stir briskly to combine. Add soda water and serve. Rob used whiskey ice cubs.

5th Annual Beerster

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:36:26 -0600

The crew for the 5th annual Beerster hunt. (The home behind the photo is a house being redone by the Boulder historical society.) You can see pictures of the actual Beerster Hunt in this post.

Remember how I said there wouldn’t be a pony like last year? Well my friend Courtney offered to let me borrow her bunny, Lola, while she was in Palm Springs. Lola was a big hit with the kids that stopped by and many of the adults.

Remember when I said there wouldn’t be a pony? I was wrong. Vikas surprised me with a pony again this year. Despite the amazingness of having a bunny and a pony, I think Beerster has been made two years in a row by having absolutely gorgeous days to celebrate. Below are pictures of our friends enjoying one of many gorgeous days to come this summer.

Yoav and Alessandra go crazy for ponies.

Joni, Rich and Rich with their spoils from the Beerster hunt!

Rebecca brought a tarte to Beerster, and I am crazy for her dress.

Andy popping bottles!

Grant with his mimosa.

He has gotten so big and so adorable.

Yoav and Lana rocking the brights.

Heather and Rachel: BFFs

Eoin and Sarah Jane enjoy brunch.

Scott and Nicole: Feelin the Beerster Love

Sarah is excited by the pony. I was excited by the cake pops she had in her hands.

On Easter, we held the fifth annual “Beerster” hunt,...

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 09:12:04 -0600

On Easter, we held the fifth annual “Beerster” hunt, which is truly the perfect Easter hunt for adults. Each adult brings a six-pack of beer and then several volunteer Beerster bunnies hide the beer. Vikas and Matt live next to an empty lot, which makes for the perfect place to hide beer. I don’t think I will ever get over the joy of seeing my adult friends running around and trying to find beer. Some of the above snapshots capture our friends running out door after we yell…”1…2…3…Beerster” to begin the hunt. Cheers to Beerster and having such a fun group of friends to celebrate Easter with.

(We are getting pictures that aren’t watermarked but I’m too excited not to share)