Half Full Holidays

Spotted on Poppytalk via Pigeon Toe Cermaics this morning, my heart did a little flip! I can imagine curling up on my sofa on a dreary day, watching my favorite cooking shows and drinking a hot chocolate out of one of these beauties.
 




I love how simple they are, not to mention the red handwriting makes it perfect for a holiday gift right?

xo tash

letters unsent...

I'm sure most of us have done it at some point - written letters to someone filled with all the unedited things we've wanted to say but never had the courage to and then of course, never sending them.  It can actually be extremely therapeutic to finally voice your true feelings without worrying about what results from sharing such raw emotions.  This is something I've done ever since I was a teenager and have diaries filled with letters. It's amazing to go back and see where I was and how I felt and then know how it all played out!

One of my best friends has started a project that actually gives you a place to send all of these letters.  It's a space for people to share their inner most thoughts and feelings about these poignant moments in life.  Not only is it cathartic to actually voice how you feel, its surprisingly therapeutic to read how other people navigate their emotions.  Think about how moving it is to read old love letters that are unabashedly raw and honest!

If you have a letter or have things that you want to say to someone without the consequences of actually saying them, visit letters unsent and get it out there!

Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend!

xo tash

kissing

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love." --
Jane Austen




“I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be. I love her and it is the beginning of everything.” -- F. Scott Fitzgerald


...spending a lot of time over here... isn't it just the best?!


xo tash

spotted and swooned!

Okay, I know I said it last week, but I REALLY mean it this week! THIS is what I want my wedding to look like! Today's romantical wedding was spotted on Style Me Pretty... Sigh... Those of you who know me know I have a serious penchant for trees.  There's something so magical about these old souls {hello Avatar? haha} and getting married around them? UGH! Yes! So when I stumbled across this picturesque woodsy wedding, complete with bon fire my jaw literally dropped...

This photo savvy couple are the masterminds behind Studio Foto and hired three different photographers to capture their big day. Which resulted in three different styles and three different moods extracted by each photographer - genius right?!

Vintage mis-matched chairs? C'mon!

I want my Bridal party in the trees!

Rustic table settings

Cuddled up by the bon fire after an evening of dancing.. 

Guests gazing up at romantic black and whites? Umm yes please!

I literally keep staring at these pictures like some crazy person. Hello! You don't even know these people and you're not getting married! ahahaha

Well, a girl can dream right?!

xox tash

Happy Hump Day!

It's been a while since a happy hump day post! And it's clearly well over due!



"I think you're 14 and you're an idiot and you took a roofy from a Priest!" ahaha kills me!

See you tomorrow pretties!
xox tash

happy dance!

If you're looking for a fool proof brownie recipe that will quite simply change your life, this my dear friends, is it! Although this chocolate square may look like you're typical brownie, you'd be mistaken for thinking so! You see, this lil' treat has made best friends with some wild cherries, raspberries and blackberries. As you bite into this dense chocolate mixture, you'll find slightly tart cherries and juicy berries popping in your mouth. Oh yeah, get ready for your taste buds to do a little happy dance!

The Chirpy Birds Black Forest Brownie

1 lb of unsalted butter

1 lb plus 12 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips - save 12 oz for later {I always prefer Ghiradelli}

6oz of bittersweet chocolate

6 extra large eggs

3 tablespoons of dried instant coffee

2 tablespoons of Vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of granulated sugar {I like to use my vanilla sugar, shown here}

1 cups and 1/4 cup of all purpose flour - save this 1/4 cup for later use

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of chopped wild cherries and berries {you can use organic frozen if they're not in season}

Preheat oven to 350F

Butter a 12 x 18 inch sheet pan

Melt together butter, 1lb of semi sweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler. Make sure that the chocolate and butter mixture never get too hot, continually stirring. Take off of the heat before the entire mixture is melted, the warmth from the bowl should be enough to heat the remaining few unmelted chips. Allow to cool slightly.

Bring together eggs coffee, vanilla and sugar. Be sure not too beat, the secret to keeping this recipe so dense and delicious, is by minimizing the amount of air that gets into the batter. Once chocolate mixture is almost room temperature add to egg mixture! But remember, if chocolate butter mixture is too hot, it will scramble the eggs and give you a lumpy mixture!

In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt and then fold into chocolate mixture.  Chop berries and cherries together, leaving some pieces larger than others and incorporate fruit mixture with juice into batter. Toss 12oz of batter with 1/4 cup of flour and add to brownie mixture. {This will stop the chips from sinking to the bottom of the pan}  Fold mixture together but keep mixing to an absolute minimum! You want it to be JUST incorporated not fully mixed!

Bake for 20 minutes and then take out brownies and rap the baking sheet to bring any air bubbles to the surface.  Bake for another 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. This is one of the most important parts of baking these brownies - you can't let them over bake so keep your eye on them and test them frequently! As soon as that toothpick come out clean then they're ready!

Allow to come to room temperature and then refrigerate. Once completely cooled cut into desired squares!

Then invite your pretty girlfriends over, share some red wine and a sweet treat.  There's no better accompaniment! 

xo tash

Boo!

Evil Crow

Well last night was officially Halloween, even though the entire weekend was spent celebrating!

Vintage Pin Up Girl

All I know is that although I had the time of my life, I'm well and truly warn out and ready for the quiet week ahead!

Last night was all about walking through the closed streets of West Hollywood admiring the amazing costumes.  A few street vendor hot dogs were had but mostly lots of dancing and Halloween treats!

How was your weekend my loves?

xo tash