omd : kate spade saturday

Current OMD (object of my desire) is the Kate Spade Saturday Weekender Bag in Stripe. It's beautiful and functional. I love the zippered shoe compartment on the bottom. If only I went places over the weekend. If only I didn't already have bags this size. If only I have $180 laying around. If only ...

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : cost plus world market

Man, when I was growing up Cost Plus World Market was not as cool as it is now. I always thought of it as a poor man's Pier 1 Imports but kind of dingier. It's definitely not the case now and I would have to say that if you're prop styling your wedding reception or shower this is definitely a place to stop by. Check out these goodies:

Row 1: 2-Tier Wire Basket (there are other finishes), 3-Tier Wire Stand (there are other finishes)

Row 2: Wooden Bark Charger, Wood Bark Pedestal Stand 12"

Row 3: Glass Dispenser, Blue Glass Dispenser

Row 4: Glass Decanter with Wooden Stopper, Glass Cake Stand (multiple sizes)

Row 5: Chalk Place Cards (set of 4), Chalk Mini Tasting Sampler Set

Row 6: Global Place Card Holders (set of 4), White Glass Cake Stands (multiple sizes)

book review : breakfast for dinner

Full disclosure, I received a free copy of Lindsay Landis and Taylor Hackbarth's new book pushlished by Quirk Books, "Breakfast for Dinner" in order to do this review. You can purchase it here. Many, many thanks once again to Eric at Quirk Books for graciously sending me a copy. 

Lindsay Landis' name might sound familiar because last year I reviewed her other book, "The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook," here and here. Or you might know Lindsay from her wonderful website, Love & Olive Oil. This time Lindsay is co-author with her husband to bring us the wonderful world of breakfast for dinner. Personally, I love breakfast so this was right up my alley. Once again, the cookbook is filled with beautifully photographed and designed recipes that are sure to tempt your taste buds. Unfortunately, as I posted yesterday I am doing the Dukan Diet so I was pretty limited in terms of what recipes I could test for this review. However, I did find one that could easily be made Dukan-friendly (I'm in the Cruse Phase and today is my lean protein + veggie day).

I made Shakshuka, a Middle Eastern breakfast of poached eggs (my fav!) in tomato sauce (I never met a tomato sauce I didn't like). In order to make it Dukan-friendly I had to omit the feta and pita (noooooo!). To be honest, I also omitted the parsley but because I forgot to get it at the market.  :/ The recipe calls for mild peppers and suggests Anaheim but I couldn't find any so I used Poblano peppers which were still delicious. If you're never cooked with peppers before, fear not. The mild peppers truly are mild and even the Jalapeño that the recipe calls for will mellow out as it is cooked. The recipe was easy to follow and turned out wonderfully. I love a runny egg! Today, I made breakfast for lunch and it just goes to show that breakfast is truly a meal to be enjoyed any time of the day.

fountain pen

I love fountain pens. I have limited knowledge concerning them but with my recent purchase I have learned a lot about the world of fountain pens. I think I was first introduced to them by my father who has several consumer fountain pens. He only buys affordable pens but unless you have a lot of expendable income (which I do not) there is no reason to buy expensive fountain pens. I appreciate the tactile relationship between pen and writer. It's a relationship that needs to be nurtured otherwise your investment will go to ruin. As in, you'll ruin the pen and will need to buy a new one.

In the past I had only used pens that had modern disposable ink cartridges that need to be refilled with a syringe or replaced. My newest fountain pen, a Lamy Safari (Lamy is the brand and Safari is the model type), can be outfitted with a converter that is a self-contained refillable ink cartridge (see below). The converter has a red end that when twisted becomes a piston that can push out or pull in ink/water into the chamber. This is wonderful option and in my opinion is the only way to go. However, the converter must be purchased separately.  The converter makes cleaning and filling the cartridge a breeze. Oh, and this also means you need to buy a bottle of ink.  ;P

When I bought my Lamy Safari pen online it said that it was coming with a 1.5mm Calligraphy nib (the nib is the tip of the pen where the ink actually comes out). I wasn't sure what kind of line the calligraphy nib would produce. There are so many different styles of calligraphy, you know? Well, I can tell you now that I have received my pen that a "calligraphy or italic nib" is the kind of nib that is used to produce the Italic, Blackletter, Gothic, Roman, or Unical style calligraphy (think Renaissance or old style English taverns), see below.

The calligraphy nib for a fountain pen will not produce the flourished, flowy Copperplate style that is so popular now (think calligraphy used for weddings nowadays). I know, I should've made the connection between Italic nib and Italic calligraphy but my mind is slow.

For many fountain pens the nib is a part that can be removed and interchanged with different nibs to produce a different style line. This is a great feature for a pen and is the case with the Lamy Safari. My pen came with a 1.5mm Calligraphy nib (it doesn't always come with this nib) but I bought a Steel Extra-Fine (EF) nib separately for regular writing purposes. The Extra-Fine nib is great, it produces a line that resembles something between a normal .5mm–.7mm pen might give depending on how much pressure the nib is given. The 1.5mm Calligraphy nib is also great but a little on the thick side for me. The 1.1mm Calligraphy nib will probably be my next purchase in the future.

If you're interested in fountain pens the The Goulet Pen Company is a wonderful resource. I love this site! Their interactive "Nib Nook" is awesome for comparing different nibs and their site also has a wonderful "Swab Shop" to compare different inks.

Here are some other links that were helpful to me in this educational process:
Lamy Safari Fountain Pen Review
Inks: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Fountain Pen Care & Maintenance

the plaid barn

If you have some expendable income then check out today's deal (as in, only for today) at The Plaid Barn. Shown above washi tape syles for only $1.99.  Also, check out A Beautiful Mess' giveaway for an instant washi collection through The Plaid Barn.

bare escentuals

I've been using bareMinerals for several years and I'm a club member which means that I automatically get shipments of foundation sent to me in the mail. I've known for about a year that I could opt to receive mascara in lieu of one of the products, which was awesome because the shipments often came before I could finish the makeup, but I recently discovered that there even more products available for shipment options. These other items can be easily swapped to customize each shipment so you can try different things. The easiest way to do this is online so you can read up on each product and what it does to make the best decision for you. Here's how (follow the blue arrows):

**note: This is obviously for customers who regularly receive club shipments in the mail. If you want to be a club member you can sign up online too.

1. Find out your customer number. If you still have your last shipment then it should be on the packing slip otherwise you can call Customer Service, 1-866-214-0702, and ask them for your customer number.

2. Go to www.bareescentuals.com and click on the upper right corner, "My Account."

3. Near the bottom of the page you'll find a "Club and Auto Delivery Program Members" area, click "Sign In." (This is also where you can sign up to be a club member)

4. Set up your online account using your Customer Number and creating a password. 

5. Once you're logged in click on "Edit Product/Shade" and browse all the options available to you. One of the items will always have to be a foundation but the other two items can be changed every shipment so this is a great way to try other products. Changing your shipment options should be done at least 2 weeks before your next shipment otherwise it won't update in time. My personal favorite is their Flawless Definition Mascara. It's the only mascara that doesn't clump for me.

I hope this is helpful for other club members out there!

what i'm working on : uncommon, update

Here's an update on a previous post. During my hiatus the hubby and I changed phone services so I got an iPhone. I must say I do miss my BlackBerry's physical keyboard. It fit the hand so well and was easy to type. But still, on to the dark side I have come. One good thing was that I was finally able to order one of the iPhone cases that I had designed for Uncommon for myself. I got the iPhone 5 Deflector case with my Woodland Friends design. I think if I could do it over I would have gotten the Black Bezel Deflector case to match the black bezel around the camera area. But whatever.

Another fun update on my cases is that four of them have been picked up by Apple Europe! The four below are sold on Apple Europe websites and I assume in stores as well. If you live by an Apple store in Europe check for me! I'm really excited about it and I hope they sell well.

pantone color of the year : emerald

First of all, yes, I'm still alive. Second of all, it's been a while! I think I lost my blog mojo during fall when the hubby and I were apt hunting, moving, unpacking, quitting old jobs and getting new jobs, swapping out the car, adopting the in-law's dog, etc etc. A lot has happened in a short period of time but I think the dust has begun to settle and I'm getting used to my new life schedule and now I feel better about posting again. 

Ok, onto other frivolous matters like the new Pantone color of the year for 2013, Emerald! Green is my favorite color (even my engagement ring is green) and I'm very excited about 2013. I picked out some pieces on Polyvore for a little Emerald inspiration.  Even though Pantone's Emerald might remind you of cooler seasons like winter different lighter tones can be drawn from it for the perfect spring or summer pop of color. If you're wondering what 2012's color of the year was, click here.

Oh! And I've been forced to join the dark side ... I have an iPhone now (RIP BlackBerry, how I miss your wonderful keyboard). If you're on Instagram search for me under, MIXANDMATCHY. 

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : olive manna

Ok, so I'm not saying that this place has the best prices but boy is the site pretty to look at. Check out Olive Manna for lovlies like these.

row 1: Industrial Metal Tray ($46), Barkboard Rustic Chalkboard ($38 small, original size sold out)

row 2: Ruffled Tin Cake Stands ($25 small, $32 medium, $45 large, $95 for all three), Ballonoff Kitchen Tins ($36)

row 3: Twill Ribbon (20 color options, $8 for 5 yards, $60 for 72 yards), Solid Baker's Twine (12 color options, $8 small 50 yard spool, $30 large 800 yard spool)

row 4: Scalloped Hanging Chalkboard Sign ($18), Wood Gift Tags (8 color options, $9, pack of 8)

omd : mulberry

I love sturdy leather bags ... part masculine, part feminine. The current OMD (objects of my desire) are these bags from Mulberry. The top one is the Brynmore for MacBook Pro, it has a compartment specifically for a 15" MacBook Pro which would be perfect for me except for the fact that it costs $1,200, holy cannoli!

The bottom two bags (East West Bayswater and Alexa bags) are a little more mature-looking but still beautiful. I guess I'm thinking about trying to dress my age more.  I'm gonna be in my mid-30's in a couple of years, yikes!

unsolicited wedding advice wednesdays : little borrowed dress

I saw a beautiful post on Style Me Pretty in May for Little Borrowed Dress and I thought I'd share the vendor with you too!

Little Borrowed Dress is a company that rents (or sells) dresses for bridesmaids.  How awesome is that?! Basically you (or the bride) choose a style/color, you pick a size, they mail you the dress, and you mail it back when you're done. For more info, check out the website, here.