This weekend I wanted to buy out ZARA. I think they hit it out of the park with their spring/summer line – great fabrics with affordable prices, a perfect mix of all of my favorite spring trends: pastels, minimalism, prints–all wrapped up in a tailored silhouette. Yep, I’m sold. Shop online and view the rest of the lookbook here.

On Friday & Saturday night we stayed at Cloudland Canyon State Park near Trenton, GA – it was beautiful, clean and quiet! I highly recommend it. I brought slow cooker chicken tikka masala which we devoured, twice. On Sunday we packed up and went to Atlanta and stayed Downton Abbey style at the Stonehurst Place B&B. This is not your cat-lady’s B&B. See the original Andy Warhol above. We had a big time. How was your weekend?

photos from my instagram

All photos by Jonathan Levitt on his dreamy blog Grass Doe

1 – Rene Magritte (Belgian) “Empire of Light” (1953-4) / 2 – Howard Finster (American) “Land of Living Waters” (1990-1999)    3 – Gustave Caillebotte (French) “Raboteurs de parquet or The Floor Scrapers” (1875) / 4 – Rembrandt (Dutch) “Holy Family” (1640)

Got any favorite paintings? Do you know a lot about art? How did you start learning? It feels so overwhelming to me…

 The products that give me a little extra oomph in our weird summer/winter…

1 – Armani Bronzer, surprisingly sheer with a touch of color / 2 – Loving these new lip balms from Maybelline, also look great as cheek stains / 3 – I would buy this body butter by the case. It just smells so clean and I love it. / 4 – Curled lashes and a swipe of mascara and I call it a day!

Need to make a sweet treat for your Valentine tomorrow? Even if you are your own Valentine, you should make these. A sweet, tart and crunchy filling resting on a buttery crust … they are decadent. 

Coconut Lemon Squares

Adapted from Mark Bittman’s “Gabrielle’s Lemon Squares” in How to Cook Everything

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus a little for the pan

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3 eggs

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon baking soda

Grated or minced zest of 1 lemon

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Heat the oven to 350˚F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Use an electric mixer to cream the butter with ¼ cup of the sugar and the salt. Stir in a cup of flour. This mixture will be quite dry; press into the greased pan and bake for 20 minutes, no longer; it should just be turning golden. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Beat together the eggs, lemon juice, and remaining sugar until lightened and thick; add the remaining flour, the baking soda, and the lemon zest. Pour over the crust, top with the shredded coconut and bake until firm on the edges but still a little soft in the middle, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares and serve. Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days.

Come back tomorrow for an e-Valentine from me! (Hint: I’m singing to you!)

]]> http://alvaleigh.com/2012/02/13/casa-coconut-lemon-squares/feed/ 1 http://alvaleigh.com/2012/02/10/couch-diy-project-round-up/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=couch-diy-project-round-up http://alvaleigh.com/2012/02/10/couch-diy-project-round-up/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:30:12 +0000 alvaleigh http://alvaleigh.com/?p=807
I want to get crafty this weekend! Here is a round-up of some projects that look fun – hope you have a great weekend!

- An alternative to new wood floors – brown craft paper! View the tutorial here. Renters could do this on plywood and lay it down on their ugly linoleum!

- A heart mobile just in time for Valentine’s day! Cut the hearts and sew them together!

- Maybe a bright garland to add all this color everyone is talking about…

- Cover a canvas with painter’s tape in your favorite pattern (herringbone, chevron, stripes), paint a canvas with all your favorite colors, mixed together. Remove the tape, you have some abstract-ish “art”! I am going to try this on some embarrassing canvases in my closet! Here’s the photo.

- Give a table (or anything for that matter) a facelift with some gold spraypaint. I think the next “put a bird on it” is becoming “dip it in gold” but whatever, I don’t care.

- I love the colored streaks the cool girls are putting in their long, beachy waves. Here’s a tutorial for temporary color – using pastel chalks! I don’t know if I have the skills for this, all of the chalk would probably just end up on my face instead of my hair…

 photo from pinterest

She was… “Always curious and unblinking, she saw the world, and without sentimentality she embraced it, with its marvels, its chaos, its mystery. Penetrating beneath the sometimes absurd surface of life with passionate sympathy, she celebrated the inherent value and humanity of the individual.”

A local hero of mine. To read more about her writing, visit this site.

photo from Smithsonian archives, quote from Early Escapades

I have sort of a no-nonsense attitude towards jewelry… I wear my wedding ring everyday, usually a simple watch and these bracelets. These were all gifts from my mom, two belonged to her. The engraved bracelet (with our name) was given to her on her high school graduation. The diamond tennis bracelet was a gift from my sweet dad (who would’ve been 64 today). The hibiscus flower hook bracelet was a Christmas gift a few years ago, and the top bangle was a birthday gift this year (it has my birthstone).

I love mixing heirloom pieces with modern looks. I’ve mixed these with chunky wooden bangles, leather bracelets, cocktail rings, you name it. You have to balance the color and texture. Don’t be afraid to mix silver and gold–I think that’s what makes it look modern.

What about you? What do you wear everyday? How do you feel about heirloom jewelry? Too outdated? How do you put your own spin on it?