Sprinkles Ice Cream

Posted in Explore, Treats by C.

1-2013-05-04 13.53.45

Location: 9631 South Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills

It’s the battle of the ice cream gods and I, for one, love some healthy competition! Not too long ago, I made the small trek over to the 90210 to check out the Ice Cream Lab, the newest addition to the South Santa Monica Boulevard family. This futuristic inspired ice cream parlor had the ~~balls~~ courage to open its doors down the street from the famed Sprinkles Cupcakes empire, that also opened a counterpart ice cream shop next door last spring. What better excuse to add a little ice cream to my beloved Sprinkles cupcake this time around to compare and contrast who does it best when it comes to a proper brain freeze? (The things I do in the name of blogging!)

Hands down, Sprinkles Ice Cream blows the Ice Cream Lab out of the water!

1-2013-05-04 13.45.10

1-2013-05-04 13.50.18

While the Ice Cream Lab relies on the unique power to instantly create your frozen treat using liquid nitrogen machines right in front of you; ultimately, it’s the limitations in their menu that weaken their panache for me. Sprinkles does what I think always works best: keep it simple, and keep it customizable. Not only do you have a large selection of ice cream flavors to choose from, your frosty delicacy is served in a myriad of ways: in a red velvet waffle cone, as a sundae, between cupcake tops or cookies for a sandwich, or just keep it basic and in a cup with toppings galore. Bonus points in my book for the option to also create a milkshake, malt, or even a float if the mood strikes you. The fun with Sprinkles Ice Cream is that the options are endless.

1-2013-05-04 13.45.24

On this particular Saturday afternoon visit, I stopped into the two-tone red and white parlor and indulged in a Sprinkles sundae (first pictured above for your viewing pleasure). It’s a scoop of ice cream with one cupcake of your choice. I had to go with their famous red velvet cupcake and the vanilla bean ice cream. The taste and texture of the slow churned ice cream with the moist fluffy cake covered with thick frosting was pure heaven (and yes, I was on a sugar high for the next three hours).

Admittedly, it’s a pricey treat, but one that I am a-okay to give in to occasionally. It’s no secret that I am a fan of Sprinkles cupcakes and when paired together with their fresh gourmet ice cream…there are no words. Summer is in 3 days gang – and I plan to spend a few of them with a quick stop here ~~after hitting the gym twice a day, of course!~~ (yeah right). Hope to see you there! xx

1-2013-05-04 13.50.26

12Jun2013

|| What I’m Lovin’ Right Now ||

Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Food, Home Decor, Inspiration, Life by C.

Blend

This quote from Lao Tzu speaks to me because I am the first person to admit that I have a hard time being present. The good news is that I’m very aware of this complication in my personality, the bad news is that I still struggle with it…often. My mind frequently wanders throughout the day to the next thing. It’s always about what I have to do next, where I have to go next, and when I have to get it done by. The trouble is, this usually happens while I’m dead in the middle of doing something that should already require my full attention.

Essentially, I’m almost always in a state of forward thinking, forward planning; forgetting to just stop, breathe and just enjoy what is. The important part to note is that during all this forward thinking, day-dreaming, and yes, even backwards reflection (but that’s another post for another time) – is I’ve somehow trained myself not only to not be 100% in the moment a large chunk of the time, but that I can somehow continue this train of thought AND get whatever needs my immediate attention in the present done in a manner that still suits my perfectionism. I call this unique ability “multitasking.” You might call it, crazy.

Needless to say, I realize there are times that I am missing out on the simple joys in life because my thoughts are elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I’m much better at this than I used to be. Yoga has been a great outlet for me (but I admit that have been known to mentally make my Trader Joe’s grocery list while in downward dog). Getting older (and ideally wiser) has helped. Blogging is one of things that forces me to be present (though you’d still be amazed at what I can do at the same time I’m writing). And I think I’ve picked up some of my boyfriend’s completely relaxed energy (where he annoyingly has absolutely no problem being totally and completely present almost all of the time – while I’m still festering over something that happened 2 days ago :)).

So this little gem of a quote I stumbled across this week was a concept that instantly hit home for me and I’m sure many of you. We live in a time where GO, GO, GO – DO, DO, DO – BE, BE, BE inundates us from the time we wake up forcing us to always be thinking ahead – because if you don’t, you’re not in the game, right? I’m not so sure about this anymore.

As with everything in life, there is a journey. Perhaps mastering this is part of mine.

What’s yours?

I hope you’re lovin’ this quote as much as I am and it gets you to think about your own journey… and making sure you’re present enough to enjoy every single step.

love & light,

Candice

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

|| Tbags Los Angeles’s Layers Mini Dress from Shopbop.||

||Light and airy bathrooms with stand-alone tubs. Insert me with a book here like ASAP.||

|| Alternating nail polish. The perfect solution when you can’t decide between two colors! ||

||Sweet Potato Veggies Burgers with Avocado. // Recipe here.||

||The perfect office space.||

47791ad6e8f10cd9c7595097e4d2457c || The NEW “happily ever after.” ||

||Spice racks as office supply storage. Genius.||

||The video causing an internet sensation. Ladies, it’s time to Lean In.||

*click photos for image sources.

5Jun2013

|| What I’m Lovin’ Right Now ||

Posted in Accessories, Beauty, Fashion, Food, Handbags, Inspiration, Travel by C.

“Two things define you. Your patience when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.” – unknown

On a rather ordinary day when I was desperately trying to get something done but not seeing the results that I wanted, this quote popped up in my Facebook news feed…at just the right time. I instantly took a deep breath and told myself to just “keep going, keep trying, have patience.” I think what is often disappointing when trying to build anything is when you feel like you’re making this great big effort, but not seeing it actualized as quickly as you would like. It’s especially frustrating when you see others already in the realm of the type of success you’re after, and then it spirals downhill from there. So today, I thought I would share these 17 words from an unknown source, but words that recently made all the difference in my day.

Since I know I can’t be alone in this: be patient, if you too, are struggling with anything today. Just keep going and do the best you can. Since persistence and patience are usually the factors that ultimately drive you to success, it’s only a matter of time. And when you do get there and have everything you’ve ever wanted – be mindful – your attitude defines you as much as your patience once did.

love & light,

Candice

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

|| Nikki Montoya Jewelry // Mayan Necklace.||

||Cupshakes = Cupcakes Blended with a Milkshake.||

|| Madewell’s Transport Tote in English Saddle.||

||Infinity scarves with shorts.||

||Alternate uses for your muffin pan // Lemon infused ice cubes (great for summer) & Pancake bites.||

1-Desktop

|| Makeup.com’s How to Cover Up Acne Scars.||

||I’ll see you someday soon, Paris.||

*click photos for image sources.

31May2013

Highlights

Posted in Breakfast, Explore, Film, Fun, Holidays, Life by C.

I’m slowly starting to feel like my old self again. The long holiday weekend was just what I needed to recharge and evaluate what’s been “off.” If you recall, last week I was in the throws of low energy levels, struggling with perpetual exhaustion. I’ve been making some tweaks to my lifestyle lately to help improve things.

First, I decided to return to a consistent vitamin regimen. This is something I was a stickler about for years, but mainly due to cost (I’m a huge fan of New Chapter organic vitamins), I stalled on this because I couldn’t decide if I should stick with what I like or try something new. Since I couldn’t make a focused decision either way, I did nothing (smart huh?). Secondly, I’ve been monitoring my diet more aggressively. I think I’ve gotten a wee bit too lenient with my eating habits and I can feel it (Hot Tamales while at the movies is my weapon of choice). Lastly, I’ve been making a conscious effort to work on getting enough sleep. This is an area that I’ve struggled with over the last year or so. I have no trouble falling asleep, but sleeping soundly throughout the night can be difficult for me sometimes. Luckily, this week has been much better when it came to that.

What also greatly contributed to my rising energy levels was likely that this week was simply fun and I smiled a lot.

I saw Fast 6 opening night at the Arclight in Hollywood with the best audience ever. Everyone was in great spirits, cheering at all the insane action sequences for 2 straight hours. Vin Diesel and the rest of the cast made a surprise appearance at the end of the film just to stop by and say hello. Needless to say, it was a blast!

My boyfriend and I headed over to a small local carnival over the holiday weekend and I found myself on a ferris wheel for the first time in a while. I felt 15 again. I don’t know if you remember the “Thriller” ride (photo reference below) but I went on this ride solo, and immediately realized that I wasn’t 15 anymore. I don’t recall being so dizzy for so long when I rode it as a kid. Ah, aging. 🙂

1-IMG_20130526_195624_910

Aside from Fast 6, I found myself taking in quite a few films this week, all diverse, entertaining, and engaging in their own way. I saw the highly stylized documentary, We Steal Secrets, profiling the rise and fall of Julian Assange and the Wikileaks website scandal; my favorite film of the year (so far) Before Midnight; and Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby which turned out to be more enjoyable than I was expecting (and makes me want to read the book again!).

This weekend, since it was so much fun “being 15” again at the carnival on a Saturday night last week, we’re heading out for a night of miniature golf, and the plan on my end is to keep working on more tweaks to improve my energy.

Have a great weekend!

Highlights from this week:

1-307090_10100209313980009_702236788_n

{Surprise flowers from Ryan.}

1-431141_10100209848109609_259981326_n

{Vanilla French Toast from Blu Jam. Yum.}

1-tavern

{Business lunch at Tavern – very chic.}

1-wpid-img_20130526_193446

{Sitting high on the ferris wheel.}

1-IMG_20130528_185644_510

{A much-need and particularly great yoga class.}

29May2013

|| What I’m Lovin’ Right Now ||

Posted in Books, Fashion, Food, Fun, Inspiration, Shoes, Treats by C.

1-Desktop

I am what you call a late bloomer. Suffice to say that I’ve always been this way across many areas of my life. What someone accomplished at age 16, I didn’t until 18. What someone achieved at 28, I probably won’t until…well, I couldn’t say. The one area it seems I crossed the finish line “on time” or before many others, was that I graduated from college (cum laude!) with my Bachelor’s Degree at age 22 and had a full-time job offered to me as soon as I walked off the stage practically (but even this began another 2 year journey toward finding my dream job in the industry). The point being that blooming later in life can be disappointing or liberating depending on what subject we’re talking about at the time.

What I find most fascinating as I get older, is how much more I find myself embracing my femininity. This could open a world of debate about what is defined as “feminine” and whether or not women should even be boxed into such stereotypical terms. So for the sake of opening that can of worms, I’ll acknowledge this off the bat and share my story anyway.

While I’ve always managed to keep myself looking presentable when it came to style (though mine was of the jeans, t-shirts, and even overalls variety in college), I wasn’t one of the first girls to embrace bras, make-up, and dresses as some of my peers were during my developmental years. While yes, I eventually ~~was forced~~ learned to become friends with bras (and now consider them BFFs, in fact), my relationship with dresses didn’t really take off until recently. Unless there was a special celebration (or I was 5 with pigtails) you wouldn’t catch me in a dress too often.

Somehow, very likely due to mass media, fashion blogs, magazines, films, TV…Society…The Man!…I feel like I’m finally embracing a new style and it’s turning out to be much more feminine that I’ve ever experienced personally. There were a lot of reasons looking back that it took awhile for me to be comfortable enough in a casual dress while running errands or getting to a place where I even wanted to wear a polished dress to the office. That’s another post, for another time. The interesting thing is that while I have grown of love the perfect summer dress or a great skirt, I find that I’m still slightly more conscious of myself than if I were in a pair of jeans. Perhaps there is still part of me fighting “The Man.” This means, you likely won’t ever see me go full Zooey Deschanel – though she totally rocks that look.

When I came across these awesome looks above*, it got me to thinking more about how to incorporate my new evolving style as we move into the warmer season where dresses are a great piece to have handy. My number one rule in anything I purchase moving forward is function and comfort.

Cheers to embracing whatever your definition of femininity is (or is not) while still managing to fight “The Man.”

And to all you late bloomers out there, our time will come. xx

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

|| ShoeMint’s Lindsey Heels. Though I, personally, could never walk in them.||

e66ddb1f7df5953e00a50df4f1d6d055

||Being you.||

|| PopSugar Fitness’ Lightened-up 7 Layer Dip.|| cf202f84c3870fc5895c6a52feec4f02

a5045eaf81108dece7a04f52372063f7 ||A clever and easy way to store reading glasses or your favorite sunnies.||

||Daily Candy’s 19 Books That Celebrate L.A.|| e13b06087dd777f3209308075df7f6f6

||Martha Stewart’s Italian Fries.|| 9b8dde564653afb92f9e647a5c1b251e

|| Intricate pink manicures.|| 6d600fbdf189afe8b3eb23e76e64b88b

*sources to dress images: out & about, office, beach, brunch.

23May2013

Let’s Do Lunch

Posted in Food, Handbags, Lunch by C.

1-Blend

A goal of mine has been to stop the bad (and expensive) habit of buying my lunch most days of the week. While I eat pretty healthily overall, I find that when I bring my own mid-day meals, I’m eating better portions and healthier options more consistently.

Not to sound like a complete infomercial, but I have found the perfect solution to transporting meals on the go that I just had to share with you! As the perfect Christmas gift (that I didn’t know I even needed) from last year, the Sachi Market Tote has made taking my lunch to work a stylish breeze. This insulated tote conveniently folds down when not in use, so much so that when I first opened this gift, I thought it was a make-up bag. The insulation keeps food or beverages placed inside hot or cold longer, which means if I forget to put my food in the fridge once I get to work, ideally everything should be a-okay.

1-IMG_20130522_130357_506

What I think we often forget about when taking our own lunches to work, is the flexibility to customize meals however we choose. While I’m one of those strange people who actually like salads, they can become pretty mundane after a while (paging: caesar salad). I’ve been experimenting recently with easy and yummy ways to invigorate the classic salad and I’ve gotten lots of satisfaction with simply adding berries to mine. (In general, my rule is fruit and nuts do wonders to enliven any salad).

So, the aim of today’s post? One, part of the fun when making the “responsible decision” to take your lunch to work is that it should be functional and stylish, insert referenced tote here. And two, change it up! Eating the same thing everyday is not only totally boring, but unnecessary. In my experience, if I don’t change it up, I’ll happen to glance at the café menu at work posted online daily and say “Ooh, they’re serving mac and cheese today!? Well, I can save what I brought for lunch today and eat it tomorrow…” (Somehow I justify this, don’t judge.)

So, let’s do lunch! My new favorite, super delicious, and easy to make salad if you’re in the market for a quick suggestion?

1-IMG_20130422_135550_257-002

22May2013

|| What I’m Lovin’ Right Now ||

Posted in Accessories, Breakfast, DIY, Food, Home Decor, Inspiration, Treats by C.

Collage

As a gal who had a birthday recently, I was bummed that I didn’t come up with the awesome idea myself to incorporate my love of donuts into the celebration! Now that I think about it, I haven’t even had a big birthday cake, donut-inspired or otherwise, on my actual birthday since I was a kid. But don’t feel sorry for me, I make it a point to enjoy frosted covered carbs more often than I probably should – and this is a year-round phenomenon. When stumbling across this super cool concept, I looked up other donut cakes (oh, the joys of being unproductive on Pinterest) and made a collage of ideas before instantly experiencing the worst donut craving of my life. (It was a rough half hour!) Suffice to say, I’ve decided what I want to see next year on my birthday (candles and all) and it fits somewhere in the range above to give you a visual reference. Who says birthday cakes are just for kids? I’m going with the argument that if they are, I’m one at heart…and that counts. So there!

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

|| Everything about this room…even though I tend to lean more toward dark, dramatic spaces.||

$RM26KI6

||Looking ahead to better things c/o C.S. Lewis.|| cbdc5f2d0bad0e9bfe514e19424c0917

500944ea09c7dbd8be01060f8b21741e || Essentials for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.||

||An awesome DIY storage solution for small bathrooms. All you need is a “shadow box” from a craft store, some paint, and nails. Full details here.||

b982c26cd1b262e58298acfe4b82eef0

9c909be3d0525fdc601759f9a721cb90 ||Coralia Leets’ White Drusy Stone Post Earrings. Details here.||

||Maple Bacon Pancakes from blogger, Laicie, over at A Thousand Threads. Yummy details here.||

bacon-pancakes-1

17May2013

Highlights

Posted in Accessories, Breakfast, Film, Food by C.

It’s my first week back into the “real world” after a short break. It’s been pretty chaotic getting back into the swing of things, but as the week comes to a close I’m beginning to find my stride again. When I think about the highlights of my life lately, I think about how much one can accomplish if you just put one foot in front of the other and get it done. By nature, this is equal parts easy and difficult for me to do. I very much have the personality that I like to meet any challenge and won’t back down until it’s to my satisfaction, but there are those times I let procrastination settle in – particularly when it’s something I don’t feel like dealing with anyway. For example?

…My air-conditioning. Since I moved into my own place (away from the constant breeze of west side living), my A/C has been deciding to work properly only when it feels like it. The problem is that I’ve been letting it behave that way for a year. I finally got to a place after a 100 degree preview last weekend of what’s to come and decided that it was time to address it with my landlord once and for all. Of course, when they came to test it to see what the trouble was, it worked swimmingly (don’t you hate when that happens?). Despite this, I told myself I was not going to accept it any longer, even if it meant having to press the issue. I was now in a space to deal with it and when I’m in that space, nothing can stop me (blu-hu-ha-ha-ha!). I marched downstairs and told my landlord with a polite, but firm tone that I wanted it replaced. They changed it the next day. Mission accomplished.

On a different note, you might have noticed a little make-over to All that Glitters this week. Thanks to my friend Tonya over at Budget and the Beach, I’ve been thinking a lot about our recent lunch where the talk was all about blogging. More to come as I develop a new creative and visual approach to my site. I’m so excited to share my ideas with you!

A few other smiles that made my week (that interestingly involved breakfast food on two occasions)?

1-IMG_20130511_143834_178

{The BEST pancakes I think I’ve ever had from Du-Par’s on 3rd street.}

1-253278_10100202346732429_1909943691_n

{Cranberry Orange Muffin and an Intelligentsia iced latte from Graffiti made my Sunday morning as we made our way to see Iron Man 3. It was an enthusiastic 2 thumbs up…for the muffin, the latte, and the flick!}

IMG_20130504_142125_329

{Enjoying a thoughtful handmade birthday present.}

1-2013-03-13_12-51-24_164

{May’s Birchbox is here!}

IMG_20130516_230215_819

{A super cool belated birthday card from a friend.}

Have a great weekend! Star Trek Into Darkness – TONIGHT! xx

15May2013

|| What I’m Lovin’ Right Now ||

Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Food, Handbags, Lunch, Travel, Treats by C.

Exactly one week ago, it was raining here in L.A. I had my heater on curled up with a warm cup of coffee slightly bummed that it had the audacity to actually rain during most of my stay-cation. Two days ago, I walked outside headed to see Iron Man 3 and nearly melted at the nearly 100 degree temperature. I know compared to some parts of the world, we’re very blessed when it comes to weather and I won’t argue that. I learned what COLD was when I walked outside my cozy hotel room in Boston one week before Christmas a few years ago. I can still feel the prickles on my skin just thinking about it and have such deep respect for those that aren’t complete weather wusses like I am.

Aside from the fact that our electricity bills hit their peak in the coming months, gas usage seemingly goes the opposite in my experience. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used the “it’s too hot to cook” excuse and promptly took myself out to eat out of fear of turning on the oven. Seeing as how I’m now older (and ideally wiser) this won’t be an excuse for me anymore. When I stumbled across 20 Nutrition Experts’ Favorite 5-Minute Meals from Shape.com, I knew there were some real treasures to keep in mind; and while some of these recipes do call for oven use, The Everygirl’s 12 Simple Breakfast Recipes was a welcomed find. The point being, if in the near future you see me consistently using said excuse above as a reason not to cook (and I’m sure I’ll do it because I did last weekend), please feel free to forward this link to me as a gentle reminder.

here’s what i’m lovin’ right now

||Santa Fe Salad // Full recipe here.||

Toss together 3/4 cup organic greens, 1/4 cup pico de gallo, and 1/2 cup each rinsed and drained canned black beans and thawed frozen organic corn. Top with 1/4 sliced avocado.

||Baked Oatmeal //Full recipe here.||

Ingredients
1 -1 ½ cups of rolled oats
¼ cup of chopped raw pecans or walnuts/combination of both
¼ cup raisins, soaked in water for a couple minutes until plump
1 cup of Granny Smith Apples, cored and diced into ½ inch pieces
1 egg
1 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
A pinch of salt
Substitute various fruits and nuts based on preference

||Something to think about.||

859f9756700d65d6cfcc7cd3d9fd3915

||Where I wouldn’t mind being at this exact moment.||

||Sole Society – Cassidy Medium Weekender// Deets here.||

||Bistro Electric French Press Coffeemaker. // Deets here.||

3May2013

Highlights

Posted in Explore, Fashion, Food, Fun, Handbags, Life, Treats by C.

1-IMG_20130427_155633_114

Another busy but great week under my belt. Although, I feel like I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath lately and I’m exhausted. I’ve been getting to bed at decent times, eating well, and did stick to my yoga class this week, but I am in total need of a B.R.E.A.K.

The good news is that I am beyond excited for my mini-vacay next week. I really want to use the time to recharge and reflect on my next steps personally and professionally. I’ve even decided to write a list of goals (big and small) that I want to accomplish over the next year, something that I want to do in celebration of my upcoming milestone and to appease my “love-to-cross-things-off-my-list” O.C.D. personality.

1-Candi

One big highlight within this week of complete chaos, was spending a quiet afternoon in the 90210 (window shopping only, of course). My boyfriend had never been and we wanted to check out the new ice cream craze so we rolled it into a short trip. Rodeo is such a fun street to stroll down and analyze: 1) who in the world can actually afford this stuff? 2) given the limited number of people who can, how do these businesses manage stay open and survive recessions? and 3) if I had the money, would I really spend $5,000 on a handbag? (If I were totally loaded – I could see I probably would, but would find it pretty surreal and strange when that day comes). My first purchase would be the classic Chanel Quilted Calfskin. The one thing we actually could afford was the ice cream and you can read more of my thoughts on the new Ice-Cream Lab here. I give it a year….tops.

This weekend will be all about celebration: prepping for my little b-day getaway and treating myself to a few splurges here and there that I’m still trying to decide upon. And in honor of Cinco De Mayo, at least one margarita and a trip to my favorite Mexican restaurant is in order.

Since next week will undoubtedly be a bit chaotic with birthday stuff and the fact that I’m giving myself some much-need relaxation time, you might not see me post everyday as usual. Rest assured, I’ll be back with lots to share with you!

Have a great weekend! xx