Quick Pasta Salad ♥

So easy and delicious! I was making "spaghett!" a few nights ago and had a ton of leftover bowtie pasta, so naturally ... I made lunch for the next day! There are a few ways to make pasta salad. I usually like to chop up some salami or ham to go in mine, but this was very last minute and I didn't have that much to work with.

Easy peasy ... boil some pasta, bathe in cold water and toss with butter/margarine/olive oil, whichever. Once cooled, add diced veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, etc. If you have time, roast the tomatoes and bell peppers and dice them up! [just slice, add olive oil and broil until crisp] Then add your coating. I like Olive Oil Vinagrette! Add cheese last. I like to use a shredded variety like the colby trio or something. Just refrigerate in a Tupperware for a quick lunch or side to just about anything!

Yummy and pretty! 

Just like pizza, pasta salad can be topped with just about any vegetable. My favorite pasta salad is from Spirits in Alexandria and it has artichokes and a ton of Parmesan cheese! But, if you're having a bit of a stock issue in your fridge, this quick and easy salad will do just fine. Cheers! ♥

Eeeeek! ♥

My birthday present from Carrie deserves its own post ... this is from an ad in a 1960s newspaper that she turned into a work of art with the magic of editing. I love it so. This truly sums me up! Of course she wrapped it beautifully and added all manner of other Halloween goodies to the package, but this is definitely the main attraction.

I've named her Winnifred.  And I can't decide where to put her! Thank you, Carrie!

Give Good Face [Beauty Icons]

These are the women I love to watch. My beauty icons. I draw inspiration from their unique beauty and learn from their example. I am not a big make-up person, but I love to doll myself up from time to time and I usually think things like "okay, pullin' out my Marilyn wiggle tonight!" or "I'm doin' Penelope hair tonight" or "Gwen lips!!!" I'm not sure if all women do this, but I think it is important to find inspiration and motivation wherever it is available. I grew up with a very beautiful mother, so I tend to value external beauty too much. Despite being naturally beautiful, my mother taught me that unique features and imperfections are the most valuable "beauty marks" a person can have, like my bumpy nose and unusually high waist.  

These are in no particular order [Except Miss Penny, below] and honestly, I didn't do the B&W thing on purpose ... I just picked which ones would appropriately interpret my love for each face. I just like the black and white better, I guess. And no ... this list does not include Angelina Jolie.

I'm going to do a style icon blog soon, too! It will no doubt be even longer! Eek!

Penelope, the ultimate beauty icon for me. I love how her individual features aren't necessarily perfect, but she is so perfectly put together! She is my number one, for sure.

Helen Bonham Carter!! Genetic freak, absolutely. One of my favorite actresses, she is hauntingly beautiful.

Christina Ricci. Amazingly beautiful. Bewitching! 

Vivien Leigh. When other girls had pictures of Tiffany on their walls, I had a giant poster of Vivien Leigh over my bed. She gives good face.

 I love Love! Someone once said "you remind me of that girl on Ghost Whisperer" ... I almost fainted. Ha! I've loved this Scream Queen since forever and I think she is a wonderful example of real beauty.

Kim Kardashian. I definitely get inspired by her make-up choices, hairstyles and of course that glorious figure, but beyond that, she truly is an exotic beauty. Most of her modeling shots are so harsh and a bit on the trashy, "glamour girl" style, but the fact is ... her face is nearly perfectly symmetrical! I'm a sucker for exceptional bone structure.

Keira Knightley. I'm not sure her eyes or mouth would work on anyone else, but she wears her beauty so well, it's inspiring! 

I have a portrait of Dita in our bedroom signed to me from Miss Dita herself [a kick-ass gift from bestie, Christie]. She wrote her favorite quote on it and I have sort of adopted it as a mantra when I'm trying to glam myself ... "There is no such thing as an ugly woman, just a lazy one." [Estee Lauder] She is proof that a beautiful transformation is only a few tricks away.

Marilyn is full of quirky beauty. It seems as though she had a glow that made her appear more physically  beautiful than she really was. I love her ... but not in that "I want to wallpaper my kitchen with Coca-Cola, Elvis an Marilyn" way ...  

Rihanna is truly flawless. She has beautifully unique features that really compliment each other perfectly. I'm usually inspired by her make-up choices and her perfect skin! She isn't someone I have anything in common with, beauty-wise, but I'm inspired nonetheless. She is also one of my top style icons.

More beautiful ladies on the next page!! Kim Novak, Erykah Badu, Lauren Hutton, CHER, Gwen Stefani my Mama and more ... I have loads of beauty icons, apparently.

Save the Date!!

Hillary and Rue sent out their save the dates! Just when I was about to start hounding her about getting stuff together for save the dates, Hillary said "no, you can't help with  these, I want them to be a surprise!" So glad I wasn't "in" on these ... I was very pleasantly surprised by their awesomeness. Not too surprised, though ... I mean, Hillary and I practically have the same brain ... hers just comes with whatever makes people nice.

I'm not going to rant ... but seriously - stop sending out magnets!!! They were a great idea at one point, but like most other trends, they have worn out their welcome. I'm over it. Everyone has been over it for quite some time, trust me. Okay, that's all. Now enjoy these beauts ...

I know what you're thinking ... "she only likes these cause they're the blackest blackness ever" which is totally true, but honestly ... these are so beautiful! Hillary lined the envelopes with velvety damask paper and they took the time to seal them with wax and stamp a love poem on the front. Teamwork, folks ... that is love.

A save the date has two purposes. 1. To ... save the date, duh. And B. To give a sneak peek to the feel or theme of  a wedding. As I am "in" on everything else, I can say that these express the elegance and timelessness of their upcoming New Orleans wedding. Take that, magnets!

English Muffin Pizzas

This is not a recipe ... it is the simplest thing ever. English Muffin plus tomato slices plus garlic plus cheese plus basil equals awesome.

Of course you'll need to add salt and pepp to the tomato beforehand and drizzle olive oil on them before you pop them in, but by now ... you should know that! Yumsies.