Tuesday, April 17, 2012

INSTAGRAM!!!!

The FabFashionDiaries is now on Instagram. I'll be posting pictures so please follow me today! Hopefully I'll also soon be expanding to other social medias. You can find me under the username fabfashiondiaries.
Kisses,
Anonymous

Monday, April 16, 2012

Nail Inspiration

Lately I've been inspired by some cute (and crazy) manicures and it made me want to try some new combinations and nail art tricks.  I have a couple of manicures to show you, but until then, here are my favorite nail combinations from the runways and the real world. 

These three manicures from Whitney Port are totally amazing (and intricate).  The tribal designs helped inspire these nails, while the iPods (which are, I'll admit, not flawlessly done) got me thinking about taking simple, everyday objects, and painting them on your nails.
Okay, so obviously these nails from the British Nail Olympics are way too intricate to try at home, but the flowery theme is not necessarily impossible.  I would strive for something like the manicure directly below.

These newspaper nails (found here)are similar to ones that a friend of mine sported at a party.  I have been meaning to try these out for a while now, and when I do I promise to post a step-b-step tutorial.
These teal nails from my favorite blog Cupcakes and Cashmere literally made me go out and buy the color.
So there you are, some adorable nails to inspire you.  I also really loved the polka dot nail at Kate Spade, but I couldn't find a picture of them. 
Kisses,
Anonymous

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Easter Extravaganza

Okay, so I am well aware that this post is long overdue, but it took me a while to find the time to download all over the pictures.  As I said in the previous posts, I went all out this year since usually we are over at friends houses for Easter.  First I'll start with the decorations, then I'll talk about the Easter egg hunt (indoors) and the amazing (mostly) food. 
I went very child-like for the decorations.  I created bunnies and eggs out of foam, and the chick place cards are inspired by something that I saw on Paper Source.  I have no idea what is up with the pinwheel, but I found it in the spring decorations box that's filled with do-dads that we've been collecting over the years and I couldn't resist putting it on the table. 
As for the egg hunt, I filled the eggs with an assortment of gummies and chocolates.  I especially loved those M&M's in the pastel Easter colors.  I often have a hard time remembering exactly where all of the eggs are hidden, especially since I don't hide all of them myself (the rest of my family helps).  So, this year I made a map of the house and gave everyone a sharpie color to match their eggs.  Then, they marked the positions of the hidden eggs to avoid the discovery of one a month later (along with the discovery of an ant problem). 
The above is a lemon meringue pie, which is a recipe I was trying for the first time.  At every holiday I try to bake at least one of my tried and true recipes, but also to switch it up a little.  I got he recipe from my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook and while it wasn't incredibly difficult, the result could have been way better.  First off, I accidentally used sweet cream butter, which has a higher fat content than the regular kind.  So, my usually amazing Martha Stewart pie crust was too soggy (saturated with melted butter).  However, I still have one tip that always makes pie crust better: instead of using a Cuisinart to chop the butter, try using pastry knives, leaving the chunks a little bit larger.  This makes the crust flakier.  As far as the filing goes, I would recommend using Meyer lemons and cutting down on the lemon zest.  I have a lemon tree, but it's of a different breed and so the juice is a little bit more tart, not good in a dessert.  The meringue was the best part of the dish, it was perfectly sweet, but come on, one component does not make a yummy dessert.
The vanilla cupcakes were definitely the highlight of the meal.  You might think that vanilla is over-used and basic, but trust me if you get the cake just right these will be gone in a matter of seconds.  I first found this recipe on joyofbaking.com and they are now my staple anytime I want to try some new decorating trick because they always come out perfectly (be careful not to overcook though).  I died the frosting mint green, although at first I was aiming a bit darker.  I then rolled the tops in toasted coconut (TIP: rolling the tops in any type of topping will not only add flavor but cover up any mistakes in the frosting) and added the leftover pastel M&M's and gummy bunnies from the egg hunt on top.

The rest of the meal turned out perfectly (ham mashed potatoes and garlic cheese bread) and overall it was a great experience.  I'm definitely looking forward to next years celebration, hopefully I'll  get to host again.  Anyway, hope your holidays were as wonderful as mine.
Kisses,
Anonymous

Sunday, April 8, 2012

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

I've been crazy busy today, but most of my Easter plans (mentioned in the previous post) were a success.  I hope everyone is having a great day, and I promise I'll post all of my food and decorating creations soon.  Until then, happy Easter (or Passover).
Kisses,
Anonymous
P.S. I just love these Easter egg themed cake pops!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Easter Inspiration

 Easter is this Sunday and since most of my family that lives nearby has other plans, I'm preparing to make an incredible Easter dinner.  The dishes I am most looking forward to are either salmon or chicken in a lemon beurre blanc sauce that I recently discovered and am seriously in love with.  Also, I'm doing mashed potatoes, salad, etc. but the real kickers are the deserts.  I have a cupcake decorating cookbook (What's Up Cupcake?)  and I absolutely adore it.  The recipes are so creative, fun, and even if you don't copy them verbatim, the techniques that they use can help to create your own inspiration (for example, instead of making fake baked and stuffed turkeys on top of my cupcakes for Thanksgiving, I made fake living turkeys).  Anyway, for this holiday I'm planning on making colorful eggs out of sugar to nest on top.  This particular recipe is one of the hardest in the book, so I'm hoping everything doesn't go up in flames. My second desert will be my famous apple pie.  It is without a doubt one of my best recipes and I can't wait to devour it.  I'll be sure to post pictures of everything so you can see how it all turns out.  For now, here's a little Easter inspiration to get you in the festive spirit.

 This pink cracked egg Easter basket from Paper Source is absolutely adorable.  They come in different colors, so everyone can have their own special one.  ($3.95)
These owl lip balms aren't quite Easter eggs, but they are positively perfect goodies for spring. (Paper Source, $9.95)
These chick place cards are only $12 for a set of 12 and are perfect for your table. (Paper Source)
These pieces of paper make for the perfect Easter craft to do with kids to hold their beautifully dyed Easter eggs.  The package comes with both bunnies and chicks and while it may take some time, you'll have a wonderful finished product ($12.95, Paper Source)
Way better than the supermarket peeps (although I do have a sweet tooth for those), these duck cookies from Epicurious are too sweet to handle.

The two goody baskets above are also from Epicurious.  The top one is a world tour of chocolate, while the bottom one is from Di Bruno Bros Chocolates (based in Philadelphia).  See the egg in the little green basket?  It's white chocolate, splattered with dark chocolate, and filled with a passion fruit ganache.  Yeah, I was drooling too. 
These vanilla-coconut cupcakes from my personal favorite blog Cupcakes and Cashmere, were too cute not to post about. 
So there you are, some Easter inspiration for your upcoming weekend.  Hopefully my food will look as good as the things pictured above (fingers crossed) but until then, I'm planning to relax and enjoy the wonderful weather right outside my window.
Kisses,
Anonymous

P.S.I'd like to clarify that in my last post, I stated that BOBS do not donate to charity like TOMS do.  This is untrue, and I am terribly sorry for misrepresenting the brand.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

TOMS

TOMS are a type of shoe, sort of resembling wrapped bandages, that have grown quite popular (especially among teens) in the last year or so.  When I first saw them, the design didn't really appeal to me, but now that they've added more high end, intricate patterns (not to mention heels), I am seriously starting to fall in love.  You might have seen TOMS copycats such as BOBS, but, at least in my opinion, they are not nearly as good.  Not only are the wannabes made at a lower quality, but they don't donate to charity every time you buy a pair.  In contrast, TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child who needs them with every purchase. Plus, many of the styles sold are vegan. 

As you can see, the styles include much more than the classics (some of the silhouettes aren't even pictured).  Anyway, I have a serious crush on the black and white Moroccans (star next to picture).  Hope this gave you some inspiration.
Kisses,
Anonymous