Le weekend est arrivé!

It's been a super busy, fly-by week here.  One highlight was seeing the excellent documentary The Square, which I'll tell you more about next week. (Bottom line: See it as soon as you can.)  What will the weekend hold for you?  I hope it's a good one! xox

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I really loved this Newshour piece featuring poet Naomi Shihab Nye.

Hand-etched wooden spoons would make a great cold-weather craft or holiday gift.  I can just imagine them sticking out of the tops of stockings at my house.

A kind of awesome foray into green lipstick, including tips for wearing an emerald pucker.

Gorge metallic leather coasters, maybe as a hostess gift?  Or house-warming?  Or for yourself, just because?

Have you ever made potato roasties?  This Middle East-inspired recipe calls for the addition of tart sumac.

Nicholas Nixon's beautiful series of annual photos capturing four sisters over nearly forty years. 

This Facebook status generator is hilariously accurate. 

Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!  Taste it tonight at the Embassy of France.

Kitties and cute men together are as great as you think they will be.

A list of D.C. bars and restaurants with fireplaces.  They left out the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton lobby, which serves s'mores on weekend evenings around 6. 

(Image via Design Sponge; lipstick link via The Cut; Beaujolais tip via Eater DC.)

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

How was your week?  Mine was busy and good.  I continued on my bluegrass/country music kick, and ended up falling further in love with Blake Shelton.  Yes, I know that he's taken.  But, with songs like this one, he can't help but make me swoon.  My goodness gracious. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!  I'll see you back here next week.  xox

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Ten D.C. delivery and take-out pizzas to try.  I can vouch for Pete's (Sit on their patio in Friendship Heights if the weather's nice.) and Angelico.  And jumbo slice.  :)

Mystery-flavored Dum Dum lollipops, demystified.

Swiss artist and scientist Fabian Oefner uses gravitational forces to manipulate paint, then takes high-speed photographs to capture the result.  See his process here.

These gold leafed shell salt cellars (a mouthful!) would make pretty gifts for the holidays.

The annual Cheap Art Sale D.C., offering pieces for less than $50, is happening this Saturday in Mount Pleasant.

Oh!  And there's a phenomenal concert happening next weekend at the Kennedy Center.  The American Voices Concert will feature Renée Fleming, Alison Krauss (!), Josh Groban, and other national treasures.  Unfortunately, only the fanciest tickets are available at this point, but if you have two hundred bucks kicking around and an open dance card for Saturday, November 23, then I think that I just helped you nail down some plans.  :)

(Image by Serge Leblon for Elle, via Fashion Bomb Daily.  Lollipop link via Cup of Jo; Fabian Oefner link via Laughing Squid; Cheap Art tip via B.)

Happy Halloween!

For a few years, Frida Kahlo has been on my mind as Halloween costume inspiration.  I decided to take the plunge this year, when portraying Frida turned out to be the easiest of my choices!  The only things that I bought to complete the costume were red lipstick and false eye lashes. 

Click through for instructions and a more complete look at the costume. . . .

Dog Halloween

Leave it to our friends in New York to implement, with characteristic wit, one of the best Halloween ideas ever: the annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade.  This was the parade's twenty-third year!  Inherent canine humiliation aside (And they must be having a little fun, don't you think?), what a bright, joyful, and totally hilarious event.  These little guys are such troopers, it kills me.



Click through for more pups in costume. . . .

Have a Spooky Weekend!

Switching gears a bit: Halloween, OMG.  I'm going to a party this weekend.  I figured out my costume, which took a 180 from the idea I was planning on when I updated you last week.  If I muster up the courage, I may share a snapshot or two next week.  :) 

What are your plans for the weekend?  Will you be dressing up and going out, or staying toasty at home?  In any case, I hope you have lots of reasons to smile this weekend.  Here are a few bits and pieces from the web that I thought you'd enjoy.  xo E.

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One hint as to my costume: it involves this lipstick, which is the perfect strong red (more orange/brown than blue in the undertone department) and very emollient.  I never really have been one for bright lip color, but am kind of excited about this.

If you have a pug to dress up for Halloween, here are a few hysterical ideas.

If you still need to figure out what to wear, these are some imaginative ideas.

Here are a bunch of DIY fall craft ideas that will keep your creative juices flowing post-crazy costume.  Start collecting those fallen leaves now!

I made a variation of this thyme-roasted sweet potato recipe last week, and yum.

Cleveland Park eatery Palena will transform its current café space into a coffee shop concept, serving coffee and fresh baked goods in the morning and moving into lunchtime fare at midday.  It's not clear whether the café will continue to offer dinner service, but let's hope it does.

Google Maps now show D.C. Metro lines.  Cool, huh?  The quirks mentioned in the link seem to have been fixed.

Here is a smooth, sexy tune from Spanish crooner Pablo Alborán.  If you like what you hear, try this one, too (The video gives a glimpse of my old stomping ground in downtown Madrid.).  And this one.  The sentimental lyrics brought a lump to my throat.

(Image from Apartment Therapy via House Beautiful; Palena tip via Eater; craft ideas via swissmiss.)

Have a Relaxing Weekend!

Busy, busy it's been around here.  For me, the weekend will involve friends and finalizing my Halloween costume.  Till now, it's been just an idea (a very simple one :), so it's time to assemble the pieces and determine details.  I'm looking forward to the fun, low-fuss project, which may evolve into something with more pizazz than originally planned.  We'll see....

What are you up to this weekend?  Whatever your plans, I hope you have fun and enjoy browsing a few bits from around the web.  xo

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A dating site sees a spike in D.C. activity, thanks to the federal shutdown.

Local chefs look forward to new players in the District's restaurant scene.

Graphite drawings that the artist says are the product of "daydreaming and keeping track of it."

I found these German chocolate-glazed gingerbread cookies in the grocery store, and they are SO delicious.  Maybe a little early for the holidays, officially, but the delicate warmth of the spice is so lovely for fall.

Quirky DIY kids' Halloween costumes that will make you giggle.

I may be coming around to the idea of the heeled bootie.*  A refined ankle makes all the difference.  These and these and these pass muster.

A slouchy silk sweater that looks like it would be nice to live in. 

Would you order a custom-blended lipstick? 

This gnocchi looks like a hearty, indulgent weekend meal.

For the Why Didn't I Think of That? file: apple cider sangría.


*Yes, I know that they have been a thing.

(Image via The Editorialite, gnocchi recipe via Epicurious on Pinterest.)

Arrival of Fall

Quick little note to wish you a great week.  Fall weather is upon us in D.C., and the pumpkins and gourds are coming out! After a summer dedicated to bar exam study (i.e., LOTS of time indoors, missing out on summer sun and heat), I felt a little cheated by the fall season's quick approach.  But I had forgotten how lovely a brisk chill, and the accompanying opportunity to cook up a storm of stick-to-your-ribs comfort food, can be.  After spending a great Sunday afternoon in Georgetown yesterday, I'm ready to welcome fall with open arms.

Happy Holiday Week!

Fourth of July at Mnemsha, Martha's Vineyard.

Things at home base got busy at the end of last week, causing a bit of a delay in posts. Sorry about that! Hope you had a great weekend and managed to beat the heat. Here's some link love to get your Monday going.

Another simple, lovely hair tutorial, courtesy of Joanna. 

A cotton, geometric panel dress that would be fun to wear for the Fourth.
Dinner, or your Independence Day meal, on the grill.

Cocktails for those of the beer persuasion. (While I am not normally a beer fan, I had a michelada last night at Bandolero. Delish! Lighter than a bloody Mary, but with similar pizazz.)

For summer coolers sans alcohol, here's a slew of creative lemonade recipes.

Metallic cut-out sandals to kick your holiday wear up a few notches.

Affordable nail salons in D.C. I'd add Dupont Circle's Mimosa to the list.

Wild Poppies 2.0: DIY Dried Poppies.

Baby in a play tunnel. Doesn't get much cuter than that.

In case your Fourth of July dessert table calls for lemon meringue pie.

Apartment Gardens

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to bring some more of the outdoors inside, despite the constraints of my apartment. At the moment, there's one healthy (though possibly lonely) houseplant on the coffee table.  It's lush, in a green-glazed pot, but otherwise pretty non-descript.

For several years, I've had a crush on kumquat trees. There's something so whimsical and fresh about an indoor citrus tree, whether kept in a trim topiary style or as a fuller shrub.

Lovely potted kumquat tree.

The variety of possibilities for apartment-friendly container gardening is also inspirational. Tiny pots, bottles, and cans make plants mobile, enabling maximum access to suitable light and temperature conditions.

Herb garden in tea cans.

Vertical pallet garden via Apartment Therapy.

Plastic bottle planters.

Herbs and vegetables grown in a shoe organizer via Apartment Therapy.

Tiny window sill garden.

DIY Ikea planter re-do.

I have my eye on the weathered tea cans. Mismatched thrifted tea cups, kettles, or pitchers would also be sweet.  And the vertical planters could do nicely on an indoor wall or the narrowest of balconies.

Which of these ideas would work best for your space? What do you do to bring a bit of the outdoors into your home?

Hello! Welcome!

I'm dipping my big toe into the blog pool and hope you enjoy taking a refreshing swim with me. Though my jewelry collection, Amoura Design, is my main creative outlet, I thought it would be fun to share the inspiration behind the design with you. Enjoying food, fashion, travel, and my city, Washington, D.C., brings me such joy. I hope that these snippets of life and inspiration bring joy to you, too.

In addition to the blog, you can follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

(Photo of a dress my mom made from a vintage table cloth.)