sibling style

kingston and daisy
<3
love love love them in this

in the eye of the beholder

the coldest it gets

it was actually fairly chilly today in phoenix and we even expect rain this week! december rains. i have awaiting their arrival for some time. our august/september monsoons were extinguished by god only knows what and we have since been fairing as best as we can in the balmy warm autumn that's been given. weekend business as usual today. straightening of the new garage and trip to the grocers, and an extra strong dose of french pressed coffee to keep us moving. moving is easy in the soft, comfy knits and the boots have become a cool weather, weekend staple. 

my new home has been my focus lately and i am just happily enjoying the transition. it's peaceful and new without being a different neighborhood. it is comfortable. and i am happy! i am attending an event tomorrow and i hope to have photos to share. then, a fashion show, wednesday for an FIDM holiday party, so i should most definitely have photos from that. 

i hope every one is have a nice holiday and if in the northern hemi, i hope you are enjoying the cool. the opposite for those of you in the warmth of the south. and with 2010 on the brink i hope we all have good spirit and hopeful feelings for the time to come..

lightly jeweled

baby it's cold outside

a study of estonian icicles


all estonian ice from google images
CDG a/w 09 from style.com

do you see what i see?

ran across abbey's (tobaccoandleather) illustrations for school. i love them and find them (in a good way) inspired by the latest alexander mcQueen collection and ink blots. then today my friend emailed me this website with amazing wall paper, it all came full circle for me. i tend to steer clear of too much color, but i think this is how it can be done..these mesmerizing folded colors layered on each other is so natural yet it has a very modern and structured feel here in these images.

so this got me thinking about personal inspiration and by contrast, personal expression. i have been inspired by color (rainbows, sun light, photography etc..) for my entire life. it seems that whenever my life takes a huge change i see a rainbow in some form or another. this was recently confirmed for the event of moving into my new home in north phoenix, when i spotted a real rainbow within the rain clouds of a wussy storm last week. i find that in honestly expressing me, alyssa that moody colors is the best fit. i can't wear much color, or choose not to, but i am obsessed with it. i worked in the paint department of a home improvement store (no, not lowes or the depot) and i was surrounded in color. i wore a black apron and every time i had a spot of paint on my can opener, i wiped it on the apron. after a year of working there, i, myself, looked like a rainbow.. i understand that the world would not work or even exist if it weren't for color and so i stand by it relentlessly, even while swathed in head-to-toe black. i could consider myself more of an angry or aggressive person.. as opposed to say, a happy one, but color will always lift my spirits and find a way into my ever-dying soul.. so, whether it be the oozing cherry red in a homemade pie or the rich brown of my favorite vintage bag, i believe that color is one of the most necessary elements in our world.


pc: tobacco and leather, eskayel, style.com and here (for inkblots)

new digs pt2..office/closet

new digs pt1..office/closet

say hi to forever

R.I.P.

this has left me with constant chills. i am deeply saddened by this.
we must save the 20 year old models!!
=.(. .. . .

too far to tar

i am pretty in love with this tar covered rabbit foot and key..
alex & chloe

unsafe

i live a life that's on the cusp of becoming more and more wrapped up in
photography and motorcycles. these are two things i am/ we are a bit obsessed with.
so don't hold it against me when i post photos of bikes.. or better;
when i post photos of bikes with naked girls folded over the chrome
of a shiny new steed or bared flesh unsafely backward
straddling the saddle of a vintage cruiser .. it's just how i roll.. haha
bikes are sex

i would, however, prefer a tad-bit more meat on these bones.. but that's me

jonathan leder
for
JACQUES magazine #3 via WAY OUT !

apricot almond

so, my new food-making adventure lately has been perfecting this no-cook granola bar recipe. i go through these phases where i cook the same thing over and over, until i become precise and efficient, so as to make it the best i possibly can. i have done this with various healthful casseroles, smoothies, sauces/pestos and more. i stumbled upon this no-cook method for healthy granola bars. there is only 2/3 c. brown sugar for the whole batch which ends up to be between 16 and 24 bars. i don't think that that is too bad, but you can try omitting half or so if you want them to be even healthier.

• 2 cups oats
• 3/4 cup flax seed flour
  
• 3/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup nuts, crushed/chopped (i used almonds, this time)
  
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp butter - i use smart balance
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• approximately 8 oz. dried fruit (apricots, this time)
• i also added toasted sesame seeds
  

then, mix the peanuts, oats, flax seed flour, and sunflower seeds in a baking dish with sides. toast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes so that they don’t get burned.

in the mean time, prepare a glass baking dish (about 11 x 13 inches) for your granola by lining it with waxed paper lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray.

put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

by now, your grains and nuts should be toasted, so mix everything together in a large bowl. the grains, the liquid “glue,” and the dried fruit. turn off your oven, because you’re finished with it now.

mix everything REALLY WELL because you want to make sure the “glue” gets all over everything. dump your granola mixture into your prepared baking dish.

the following part is really important: spread out the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula.
fold over the sides of the waxed paper or add a sheet on top, and PRESS REALLY HARD ALL OVER the granola. you want to compact it together so that your bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.

wait 2-3 hours or until the granola has totally cooled.

then, open the waxed paper …

i cut and packaged mine up in plastic baggies and you can store them in the fridge or in the cupboard. they should stay good for up to 3 weeks.

oh la la

ova-the-top

my new over-the-knee boots arrived early today from aldo. needless-to-say, i am planning much of my a/w wardrobe around them.. my feet told me that they want a season off..

nostalgic boutique by rebecca turley

last 2 photos by: Ron Nachtwey


i walked for Rebecca Turley, this weekend. this marked the start of a month long on-going competition for Designer of the Year for Scottsdale Fashion Week. the designer that i walked for two years ago won. i am hoping that my positive vibes will bring the same luck this year to becky! i really love the start of her collection. her line is very vintage inspired and she chooses beautiful colors.. love love love!!

meow

this is (believe it or not) a jumpsuit by my friend and designer, Paul Hazlett from here in phoenix. i wore it last night at the IC Montelucia Resort @ Camelback Mountain for a wine tasting event for Young's Market.

the kitty is all hand-beading and the whole thing is my absolute favorite elegant piece of clothing i have ever owned and/or worn! it is truly amazing, innovative and just plain beautiful.. (well, hardly plain, but, you get the drift..)

paul doesn't have a website, but as soon as he does i will post it.. hear that, paul?<3

serious face

have a great weekend!!

Bike night @ our house..

office shake

learning to blog on the GO!!