Quote For A New Year

I am starting to think of my new year's resolutions at the moment. This quote has definitely helped the thought process.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the gypsies who dig my blog!

Enjoy these festive pictures xoxo

Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas this year is the man pictured below. He sure knows how to bring home the bacon A.K.A. a real Christmas tree and a little something from Tiffany's! :)

Winter Boudoir

I may have just stumbled across the perfect winter bedroom. It's glamorous, vintage and utterly romantic. This is the hideaway of one classy and creative gal named Camila. The unique space was destined to appear on my blog. I'm so in love with the exposed brick throughout because it reminds me a little of my loft right now.

Camila's home wasn't always so nocturnal though. Take a look at some shots of her place just months before. Both decor ideas are really quite lovely.

Holiday Hot Cocoa

When the weather cools down, there's nothing I enjoy more than putting on an over sized sweater and curling up with a hot cup of cocoa. Here are a few recipes I found online via Cafemom blog to spice up that regular cup with a little holiday spirit.

Mexican Hot Chocolate: A spicy twist to the original. Simply add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of chili pepper to your cup. The zip from the cinnamon and chili pepper will warm you right up.

Toffee Treat: Stir in butterscotch chips into the original hot cocoa until melted, top with whipped cream, and then sprinkle with crushed toffee bar pieces (Heath bars are recommended).

Cookies & Cream: This one is easy but oh so delicious. Simply crush Oreo cookies and sprinkle them on top of the whipped cream. You can even dip them into the hot cocoa for an extra chocolate-y treat.

Holiday Hot Cocoa: With stores not lacking in the peppermint department this time of year, crush up pieces of hard peppermint candies (approximately one per cup), stir into the chocolate, and add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract for good measure. Sprinkle any leftover candies over the whipped cream.

Raspberry Heaven: Pour raspberry liqueur (preferably Chambord) into an original hot chocolate for a decadent drink. Garnish with a piece of crystallized ginger, if desired.

White Delight: Heat 6 cups of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream until bubbles form, then pour over 12 ounces of white chocolate (finely chopped) in a medium heat-proof bowl. When it begins to melt, stir to combine, then whisk in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Continue whisking until light foam forms. Serves 8.

Frozen Hot Chocolate: Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it? Simply mix 3 ounces of your favorite high-quality chocolate (melted) with two teaspoons of store bought cocoa mix and 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until well blended. Remove and slowly add 1/2 cup of milk, stir until smooth, and then cool to room temperature. Then blend mix, 1 cup of milk, and 3 cups of ice in blender until smooth. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Sexy Citrus: Add in 2 strips of orange peel and 2 strips of lemon peel to 4 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate, 3/4 cup half-and-half, and 3/4 cup of milk, over heat. Remove peels after 2 minutes and add Brandy and Limoncello to taste. Zing!

Rise & Shine: To put a pep in your step, add 1/2 cup of hot coffee to 1/2 cup of milk. Mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa, 1 tablespoon of grated milk chocolate, and sugar to taste. Definitely worth climbing out of bed for.

Russian Hot Chocolate: Mix together 2 ounces of Kahlua, 1 ounce of vodka, and 1 cup hot chocolate made from milk. It won't just be the temperature that warms you up with this drink.

Peanut Butter Better: Chocolate and peanut butter is the best combo ever, right? So why aren't we putting it into our drinks? Melt peanut butter cups into your favorite hot cocoa for a candy-inspired beverage.

Country Cocoa: Stir in maple syrup to your original hot cocoa for a completely different (yet delicious) version.

Thank you Brittny Drye for all the recipe ideas and the write up!

Did Demarchelier Confirm?

When it comes to fashion photography, Patrick Demarchelier is a name everyone should know by now. Born near Paris, Demarchelier's stepfather gave him a camera for his seventeenth birthday. The gift was put to good use as he learned to develop film, retouch negatives and started his career like any other photographer - shooting weddings and friends.

Since 1975 the man behind the lens has been residing and photographing all the top models and celebs in New York City. He has shot the covers for Rolling Stone, Glamour, Life, Newsweek, Elle, Mademoiselle as well as American, British and Paris Vogue.

The photographer has been referenced in the Devil Wears Prada when Meryl Streep, the editor of a top fashion publication, asks Anne Hathaway, a struggling assistant, "did Demarchelier confirm?". He was also a cameo in the Sex and the City movie snapping shots for Vogue of Carrie Bradshaw in designer wedding gowns.

Demarchelier has more than just an eye for photography. It has been said he redefined the fashion photograph and the industry along with it. In particular, he captures the beauty and essence of a woman in his photographs with extreme ease. Regardless of static poses or through movement, the end results look natural and très relaxed. I'm a firm believer a true artist makes his work look effortless and it's refreshing to know the worlds leading fashion photographer reached such stardom with modest beginnings.

Amy Walker

I know her name is Amy Walker and I know she's 25 years old, but where is she from???

The Black Keys

CAN'T. STOP. LISTENING. TO. THE. BLACK. KEYS.

If Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters created a prodigy child, the bundle of joy would be called The Black Keys. I recently did a photo shoot where The Black Keys just so happened to be cranked over the speakers. The perfect blend of rock and blues set the mood for a mellow atmosphere that day. After four hours of posing, wardrobe changes and hair/makeup touch ups, you would think another TBK song would be the last thing I'd want to hear. Au contraire, I ended up going home and uploading all their albums onto my iPod.

The band is surprisingly composed of only two men. Dan Auerbach is the bearded guitarist with the enticing voice and Patrick Carney is the talented man behind the drum set. The Ohio natives create loose songs oozing with soul and meaningful lyrics.

I find lots of bands slack in the lyrical department. There's an overload of musical garbage out there where artists just fill songs with empty words. However, with the release of their sixth album, Brothers, produced in Alabama's famous Muscle Shoals Sound studio, it's nice to know TBK stay true to the old school blues style with songs revolving around troubled women and classic heartache. The lyrics are honest and very well thought out. I constantly have one of their tunes stuck in my head and this is why TBK has easily become one of my all-time favourite bands.

The band is often compared to The White Stripes as both have similar sounds possibly attributing to the fact both are duos using vocals, guitar and drums. I personally like them much better than the White Stripes though. It's not that often you find a band where you adore every single song they offer. Regardless of a heavier rocker song or one of their soft melodies, they always exude tons of energy into their music and even more in their performances. Seriously though, from watching some of their videos (such as the last YouTube I posted at the bottom of this article) it's apparent they get quite the workout from jamming on stage. They make me want to trade in my gym membership and join a band.

TBK also have a quality following including Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett to name a few. This band is definitely worth checking out. I'm sure if you hear one song, you'll want to hear them all. At least that's what happened to me.

Here's a little taste....

This is a tune off their latest album.

I like this one too!

Words by Bob Marley

With quotes like this, it's no wonder this man will remain a legend...