Color Inspiration

I am in search of inspiration for a theme for my portfolio (in case I ever decide to apply for design school). I want to include different styles and designs for the clothes but I want a cohesive look to the whole book. I have really loved navy blue lately so I thought perhaps a dusk/midnight would work well and it has such a nice contrast of soft and strong colors. I used a little help from a color palette generator and here is what I came up with.




I was hoping for a little more coral/pink to come out. I also like the look of midnight and a silvery moon so I played around some more. Unfortunately the moon image didn't work as well with the generator so I couldn't pull my perfect silvery white.




I made my own set of colors in Powerpoint and here is my final palette.

A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style

As a huge Project Runway fan and a blossoming interest in fashion design, I went online to see what I could dig up about one of my favorite reality shows. As I am beginning to figure out ways to start a portfolio (in case I decide to apply for design school), I have started to look for sources of inspiration and was happy to come across this! Tim Gunn's book A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style. This is now a must-read on my book list! I'm definitely excited to see what Tim has to say and how I can 'make it work'!




P.S. That Tipping Point book... that's going on the backburner too. I haven't wanted to pick that up in days. Bummer.

It's You, It's You

And I can't believe
Oh that (you're my man)
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can
Whatever comes our way
We'll see it through
And you know that's what our love can do

And in this crazy life
And through these crazy times
It's you
It's you
You make me sing
Your every line
Your every word
You're everything

A Whole Lotta Yum!

I was always planning to share my favorite places to eat or any unique finds that I might want to try. I had to write about this place first because I have been craving this place for weeks! It's a place my girlfriends and I found on a whim, a little more than a year ago. We knew we wanted to try a new kind of food so we headed over to Little Brazil. We decided to go with Emporium Brasil after walking up and down the street a couple of times. The food was good and we like the Guarana, a Brazilian soda. I don't remember what I had the first time we went. My girlfriends went back a few times after and eventually we all went together again.


This is from their website. I'll have to remember to take a picture next time I go. Hopefully soon!

This time I decided to try their Prix Fixe Dinner. The bread was good, including the cheese balls that we found in the basket. The salad was nothing special... actually kind of bad. Next time, I'll probably just tell them not to bring it out. Not much of a salad fan anyway. For an entree, I chose the BBQ Short Ribs with Butternut Squash risotto.

Oh my god... I can't even begin to describe how good it was. The meat comes sizzling on a hot plate and its so juicy and fatty... but it's so delicious that you don't even care how bad it is for you. This isn't even an exaggeration... I said, "oh my god, this is so good" from start to finish, after every single bite. And I don't have a large appetite. I rarely ever finish my whole plate when I eat out. Let me tell you... my plate was licked clean. You really have to try it. I'm actually kind of scared to have it again because I have been craving it so much and I know how good it was the first time. I'm beginning to think there is no way that it can be as good again.

Oh, the dessert was good too. It comes with this strong Brazilian coffee, which was alright. (I'm not too good at knowing how to taste the difference between good coffee and bad. For me, it's either creamy and sweet or just bitter. This coffee... was just bitter. *shrugs* Sorry. I digress.) The dessert was this tiny ball of brown goodness, no bigger than a ping pong ball. At first, you're thinking "a little stingy with the chocolate, no?" But definitely not, absolutely decadent. It's not quite a truffle because it's sort of warm and very soft. There's a chocolate layer that surrounds this creamy caramel filling. If you had more than what they gave you, your teeth would fall out in the morning.

Emporium Brasil
15 W 46th Street
New York, NY
Rating: Highly Recommended!

Thank the Stars

Entwined
all that we are is defined
by each others shipwrecked hearts
and I shiver to think
what would have been
if I wouldnt have seen you in time..
would we pass by?

like parachutes and air balloons
or satellites and lonely moons
we'd still be drifting far apart
but thank the stars we are
entwined..

- Jason Reeves

Currently Reading

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

I didn't put this on my reading list because I'm reading more because I think it would be in my best interest because I am a Marketing major. I actually wanted to read Blink which is by the same author but figured if I read that first I would never get around to reading this one. So I'm kind of using this as motivation to read the other one.

I have these two books on the back burner. I bought them in early July when I first started my co-op. The Marketing Associate suggested that anyone who wants to get into finance should read these books to really get an idea of this industry. I started one but I don't think I have any real passion about these sorts of things to want to finish.

When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein

Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis

One Day but Not Today!

I think I made this label just because I wanted to share these finds. I was walking down into the subway at 59th and 5th when I saw this bright pink magazine in the newstand. I walked over and saw this adorable magazine! Baby Couture magazine with a Hottest Celebrity Dads article and stylish spreads of children's fashions. Not your typical Parenting magazine. I wasn't going to be silly and buy the magazine. What would my mom think with me bringing home a baby magazine?! Wedding magazines she can tolerate... but I don't think I want to push it any further.



I noted the website written on the cover and discovered that they have a blog! (Who doesn't these days?) And that's when I found these!! Whimsical little pettiskirts for girls by Kaiya Eve Couture. I know I had my share of days prancing around in tutu outfits, I took ballet classes for years. One day, when I have a little mini-me skipping across my yard, she'll definitely be sporting one of these Kaiya Eve pettiskirts!

Food for Thought

So, I've recently taken up reading. (Haha, I make it sound like a sport.) It's nothing to be proud of but I sort of am! I can't tell you how long it's been since I read a book for leisure. Since I started college 3 years ago, I think I've read one book and that was Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I didn't want to watch the movie without reading it first. (Note to Self: Save book from Mom's bottomless sea of books in storage... before it's too late.)

In July, I started co-op in Manhattan and have been commuting from home in New Jersey. This commute offers a ton of time to do absolutely nothing each day. Magazines just didn't cut it anymore since I could finish one in a single train ride. Why not make some better use out of that time, right? After all, you can only ignore the 20 bookstores I pass in Penn Station every day for so long. I've found that it really helps you block out the rest of the world during the commute and you are definitely less irritable with your nose in a book. It's quite calming actually.

My Reading List:

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Finished - Review coming soon

Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier

Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It by Kimora Lee Simmons

Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell