I Love A Big Statement Piece...ART!!

Just a little inspirational eye candy for you today.






{images via GlamourDrops, House Beautiful, Architectural Digest, The Decorista}

XoXo,

Iris

Super Easy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

I looooove Spinach & Artichoke Dip and had been craving it, so I googled for an easy recipe and voilà!



Apparently this is the AppleBee's recipe (Applebee's fans, you decide)

1 (10 ounce box) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1 cup shredded parmesan-romano cheese mix
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10 ounces prepared alfredo sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 ounce softened cream cheese

Pepper (optional)
**I wish I would have used more cheese, so add to the above if you wish.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and spread mixture into a small baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheeses are bubbling and melted. Serve with chips or bread and ENJOY :-)

Recipe found @ food.com
Photo by me.



XoXo

Iris

I Love Boobies.....

and no, I am not talking about those stupid bracelets all these kids are wearing lately. I am talking about Jonathan Adler's Muse Collection. I finally went into the Jonathan Adler store this past weekend. I was in heaven. Loved everything in there, so funky, fun, quirky, sexy.
This is one of my fave from the collection... I want this Georgia cookie jar BAD. I'm sure Peter wouldn't mind having it around the house ;-)
Love the detail on the top handle...lips and tongue. So cute.



The Luciana Vase.


Georgia Base turned lamp.

XoXo

Iris

All About the Furry Friends...Awesome Photography and a Good Cause

Let me introduce to you the best furry friend photographer....Seth Casteel of Little Friends Photo. His photos are so vibrant and he really captures the beauty and uniqueness of each animal he photographs.

Seth and his best friend Nala....what a cutie, and the pup too ;-)

Some more of his photos....love them.





Ok, so this is what I am super excited about. Seth not only takes amazing photos of animals who are already living the good life with their masters...but he has gone above and beyond to make sure that homeless dogs (and cats too) get to live the good life too, and wants others involved as well.
Second Chance Photos is about giving shelter pups a second chance.

Have you ever seen the pictures that are taken at the shelters?? They are so sad, the poor doggies look so afraid, with no personality, shivering in their kennel. So, with Second Chance Photo, volunteers (amateur and professional photographers, or anybody with a good camera) connect with local shelters and take photos of the animals really showcasing their personalities and smiles :-)

Check out this before and after. What a difference. {photo from second chance photo, but borrowed from TeddyHilton.com}


More happy pups...look at all of those smiles. Melts my heart.

I definitely want to be part of this and I hope you are all inspired too (my fellow bloggers with good cameras, get on this, you know you want to) Check out the website HERE for tips on how to get started as well as a guide to good photo shoots and editing.
{all photos taken by Seth for LittleFriendsPhotos.com}
You can find LittleFriendsPhoto on Facebook and twitter, too.


XoXo

Iris

A Little Tuesday Inspiration

I can spend hours just flipping through interior design magazines and pictures on-line. Today, I found these and was totally inspired. Enjoy.

I absolutely love the warm tones of this room. I'm obsessed.


I love and want everything in this room. The color combinations is gorg. It's so glamorous to me, but yet masculine. And check out the flooring. Perfection. {via vivafullhouse}


Wow!!! This outdoor space is so cool...but I wonder how long I would be able to hang out here before I start hallucinating stripes haha {via sadieandstella}


I think this is a display for a store (um, security knob doesn't give it away) but I think it's totally cute, chic, rustic and modern all in one. Love!! {via thinkdecor}


Wowsers!!! What an awesome bathroom...hers and hers sinks (one for my hands other for my face). Ok ok, I guess I would be nice enough to share with peter...maybe ;-){source unknown}


How cozy is this room?? Loving all of the rugs, they really complete the room. {via Pinterest}

Anything inspiring you today??


XoXo

Iris

I'm ready for Fall...Fashion I am Loving this Week

It's almost time for Fall...that means cozy sweaters, tweed jackets and slacks, warm toned colors, and yup...boots. I am loving chunky sweaters with skirts and, as always, leopard and other fun prints :-)

Untitled #1752 by ways2wearit featuring a button down shirt

Vanessa Bruno crew neck sweater
$306 - lagarconne.com

Yves Saint Laurent button down shirt
$1,043 - farfetch.com

Donna Karan knee length skirt
$1,005 - stylebop.com

Proenza Schouler platform high heels
$635 - mytheresa.com

Madewell leather messenger bag
$168 - madewell.com

Linda Farrow Luxe brown shades
£290 - brownsfashion.com

CO OP Barneys New York skinny belt
$95 - barneys.com

XoXo

Iris

Itty Bitty Before & After...& My Office Wall

My aunt was about to throw this old lamp of hers away, but in searching for a lamp for my office with no success, I figured I'd give it a mini makeover and hope it would fit well against my light mint green wall. So here it is...

Before:




After:



I went with orange and white because I love (actually obsessed with) orange right now and I love the orange and minty green color combo. It was actually a pain in the toosh to paint because of base not being smooth, but I thought the chevron pattern would look interesting on this base. I'm happy with it :-)

And my frames were finally put up in my office. Ignore that ugly chair (I don't get to replace it, blah) I had to spruce it up with a burnt orange (fav color for Fall) and a shawl. The frames all hold photos that I have taken of my travels. They really personalize the room and cozy it up. And yes, that is where I sit and wave my little wand and make everyone's problems magically go away, because it's just that easy...right?


Have a beautiful week.

XoXo

Iris

Mango Bread Pudding...Perfect End of Summer Dessert

Mango...the messiest fruit EVER! So what better way to eat it than in bread pudding...where it is chopped up and the juices aren't running down your arm haha. I saw this recipe and it just looked sooo good to me that I had to try it. This bread pudding is delightfully delicious... my taste buds are very very happy :-)



3 large Eggs
2 cups whole milk (I actually used reduced fat milk)
1.5 cups sugar
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1.5 lbs. brioche bread, diced (found at Whole Foods, did not use all 1.5 lbs,
just seemed like too much...up to you)
2 cups ripe mango, finely diced (2 mangos = 2 cups, but I wish I would have used 3 mangos)
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Lightly butter 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish or individual ramekins. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Add milk, sugar, and vanilla; whisk to blend well. Stir in bread and mango and melted butter. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Preheat over 350F. Bake pudding uncovered until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe from Puerto Rican Chef Carmen Gonzalez on Latina Magazine August 2011 issue.
{images by Me}

Enjoy!

XoXo

Iris

Lulu & Drew...Love!

I came across Lulu & Drew recently and just had to share. Love love love this artwork. I think I may just get one for my office, but will have to flip a coin because I love the Confetti AND the Ikat, 'sigh' decisions.
Check out all of the Lulu & Drew original artwork HERE.







XoXo

Iris

My Wall....and the Inspiration

So I finally got around to hanging some frames. I had been wanting to fill this wall to give the space some character. All of the frames hold very special and personal memories. I still want to add more, going down very close to the floor and a little higher towards ceiling too. But so far, here is my wall.



Peter wrote me a poem years ago. How sweet is he? I have the original framed in my bedroom, but I wanted to paint the poem onto a canvas. Peter actually helped me out with this. He painted the canvas a Faux wood (you can't see well in this picture, but look closely) and then I painted the poem. So it's pretty cool that both of us were part of this project. (it was quite the challenge to fit the entire poem, so I had to cram the words in) I got the inspiration to do this from HERE.

Cherry blossom tree I painted and the note Peter wrote me the day we met.

Here it is up close. He left this note on my windshield after we said Hello to each other, I had parked in front of his place to go lay out at the beach while I crammed studying for finals. I get all smitten every time I read it...big smile:-) (I'm hoping having it out doesn't fade the writing, anybody know or any suggestions to keep from fading?)

Magazine photo of Peter when he was IKBA U.S. Light heavy weight champion, an article above from an interview he did, a photo of me in Colombia writing "Love" on the beach, another photo of Peter after a win, and first photo I took with my Diana camera of flowers. {all above photos by me}




And the inspiration....


{via cococozy.com}


{via emmas.blogg.se}


{via 4.bp.blogspot.com}


{via younghouselove.com}


{via madebygirl.blogspot.com}


{source unknown}


{via b-splendid.blogspot.com}


{via houseofbliss.blogspot.com}


{poppytalk.blogspot.com}


{sweetiepiepumpkinnoodle.com}


{via goodgirlgoneglad}


What do you think? Would you fill every inch of a wall with frames? Too much for you?


Hope you are all enjoying your Labor Day weekend.

XoXo

Iris