Twenty four was a great year. I moved to Tahoe, traveled to Europe and Central America, visited Texas and the Midwest for the first time, learned a lot about myself, met some really great people and made some of them friends I will keep for a lifetime, started a blog. The list goes on. While it feel like yesterday I was celebrating my last birthday on a road trip to Baja Mexico to enjoy some fish tacos and margaritas, it feels like moons ago at the same time. I am grateful for every little twist and turn my life has taken. I am eager to unwrap this upcoming year as twenty five will be a great one, I know it. I am looking forward to spending an awesome sunny day at the beach with great friends and watching the eclipse later.

Thank you all for sharing your happy birthday wishes with me. In turn, I decided to share 25 things you may or may now know about me:

1. I hate the word that starts with an m and ends in oist.

2. When I was a kid I was in 4H and showed guinea pigs.

3. I am humored by the overuse of the word “literally” e.g., “I was literally just about to call you.” Thank you for clarifying, I otherwise would have thought you were hypothetically going to call me.

4. I’ve never seen Braveheart.

5. I think it’s sexy when people are left handed.

6. My first job was working at In and Out.

7. I once beat a game of Solitaire in 1:42.

8. People that drink milk with dinner gross me out.

9. As a kid, I was so competitive that I would cheat at Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders to win.

10. I secretly wish I was an ariel dancer.

11. I have a weakness for Sour Patch Kids.

12. My all time favorite movie is A League of Their Own.

13. I hated my name growing up and wished it was Kelly or Sandra.

14. It drives me crazy when food is taken out of the microwave early and the remaining time isn’t cleared.

15. My favorite flower is a Sunflower.

16. I love driving at night.

17. I’ve played the piano since I was five.

18. I text like I’m writing my thesis.

19. I hate bowling.

20. I used to name all of my animals human names e.g., Nicole and Anthony the guinea pigs, Daniel the mouse, Ben the rat, Elizabeth the bunny.

21. I’ve never had a nose bleed.

22. My favorite Broadway play is Wicked.

23. I’m hard to surprise.

24. I want to hug all animals. All of them.

And lastly…

25. I was senior class president in high school.

Voila! You know me 25 times better than you did four minutes ago. Have an amazing rest of your weekend and talk to you soon.

Thanks so much for reading.

Aisha xxx

I haven’t really gone out of my way to mention this on my blog or any social media outlets but since a ton of my time lately has been browsing design blogs and websites I will share indeed why more than ever I am asking myself, “what would Martha Stewart do?” We will soon be moving into a new house. Not a rental house, but the kind that you sign the next 30 years of your life away, watch your bank account dwindle and take less vacations for kind of house. Holy guacamole. I’ve been ecstatic but reluctant to share because the process has already taken over two months and we are still eagerly awaiting things to be final. Just give us the keys damnit. Anyhow, thought I’d share some homes and ideas I’ve been adoring. Can’t wait to to start project house to home.

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These are just a few images and concepts I love. I think it’s safe to say I like the look of wood and shabby chic. We’ve got a house full of boxes of furniture that is waiting to be built. Let’s get this show on the road.

Some design blogs I love and have been stalking:

Laura from Dishfunctional Designs

Kathysue from Good Life of Design

Denisa from Daily Dream Decor

Sasha from Everything Fabulous

Have a great weekend!

Beijos xxx

I picked up this old cutting board at Salvation Army for a wallet breaking $1.50. I knew right away it would be perfect for a little DIY action I’ve been wanting to tackle for a while. I love the look of chalkboard, it’s raw simplicity adds a nice homey touch to what ever it’s purpose. I turned this old gem into a cheese platter with just a few supplies. The total cost of this project was under $20.

What you’ll need:

1. Something flat to turn into a platter (another example would be an old picture frame)

2. Chalkboard spray paint

3. Newspaper

4. Colored spray paint for any trim or accessory

5. Chalk

[Lay out newspaper]

[Spray about a foot away from board for a nice even coat. Repeat four to five times]

[Antique gold spray paint for handles]

[Next to each cheese write the name of it]

[Enjoy your new cheese platter]

Beijos xxx

It’s funny as we get older how much more we appreciate our mothers. The things that drove you crazy about her strict ways, discipline, and story telling are the mere things that give you humility, patience and and a good sense of self. Growing up I was raised by a single mom who was nonetheless 40 years older than me; we certainly had our share of butting heads. But if I can pass along the things she’s taught to me to someone else, I will feel like I’ve fertilized the world with some soil of greatness. I’ve also been blessed with many other mother figures in my life: my friends moms, my sister, and during a small sliver of my life, some teachers. For all, thank you a thousand fold for sharing your wisdom and patience. I hope you all had a beautiful Sunday with your mom, families, friends or someone who is like a mother to you. Happy Mothers day, Mom!

Beijos xxx

I have always been drawn to jewel tone colors. Ruby red, cobalt, emerald…give it to me. I think I large part in why I gravitate towards those colors is because I’m a winter. I’ll explain more about what this means in a future post. Since I’ve lightened my hair I’m definitely a little more fall but the rules of fashion are always made to be broken. Our good friend from Australia is visiting so for his first night in town we went to a Southern Wine and Spirits wine/liquor tasting at Edgewood where good times were had by all. Here are a few shots of what I wore. Skirt and top were another fabulous find at Crossroads Trading Co.

Top: S.Y.L.K, Skirt: H&M, Shoes: Moschino, Necklace: Forever 21, Clutch: Thrifted

Thanks so much for reading.

Beijos xxx

To be quite honest, I’ve never been a huge sweet breakfast person. While I like the idea of a big Ihop-esque ceiling high stacked pancakes, cream cheese stuffed French toast covered in decadent maple syrup and marmalade coming out of everyone’s ears, I typically opt for the boring egg white omelet. If it’s a really frisky Sunday brunch I may treat myself to a nice breakfast burrito. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t not like French toast and waffles; I’m still human, I’d just rather spend my calories on a couple mimosas. I decided to get a little creative this past weekend and whip up a good and good for you breakfast. In substitution of flour, there are all different types of gluten free flour that will leave your energy level a lot more thankful. This particular recipe called for coconut flour. I was pleasantly surprised that the taste and texture of these bad boys were rather comparable to those energy sucking, belly bloating things otherwise known as normal pancakes. To read more about gluten and why your body doesn’t like it read this article.

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. Thank you for reading!

Beijos xxx