Fiesta Friday ~ Black Swan-Inspired Oscar Cocktail

Sarah sent me this little gem last week, and while I still have not had the chance to make it, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up sharing with everyone (plus it's an Oscar Cocktail and the Oscars are this Sunday)!  It's a "Black Swan-Inspired Oscar Cocktail" courtesy of People.com. Not only does the picture make this cocktail look delicious, but its ingredients are equally as tempting.  If I get the chance, I'm seriously contemplating buying white feathers and a black serving tray just to give off the same effect.  It would be epic.  I'm sure Ben's reading this now and is thrilled at the idea of watching the Oscars with a sexy martini in one hand and a white feather boa in the other. 

Here are the ingredients for two drinks:

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 4 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 ounces vodka
• 2 ounces simple syrup
• 2 teaspoon chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon black sugar crystals

Then...

1. In a small saucepan, gently heat half and half.  Remove saucepan from heat when half and half is warm and start to whisk in white chocolate until melted.  Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until cool.  Once cooled, stir in vodka and simple syrup.
2. Dip the rims of your martini glasses in water, then dip each in black sugar.  Put 1 teaspoon chocolate syrup in each martini glass.  Tilt the glass to form stripes.  Pour in martini mixture and serve.



Photo courtesy of People.com

Cheers!
Hannah

Room-Decorating Syndrome (we've all been exposed to this one) ~ Guest Blogger: Jayne

One of the most exciting things about moving to a new place is thinking about how you want to decorate!  When I was moving into my studio in Las Olas, decorating was all I thought about for weeks, and when Ben and I moved in together a couple months ago, again, it's all I thought about.  I would literally dwell over the positioning of the couches, what color pillows would match the first rug we bought, and what color tablecloth would look best with our wall color.  It became obsessive, but it was so fun!  I would send Ben emails with room styles I thought were cool about twice a week.  I know I'm not the only one who suffers from room-decorating syndrome, I've heard a few anecdotes myself.  And last year in July, I was lucky enough to be there while Jayne started her move-in process into a chic studio in Boston.

Jayne's studio is the cutest thing ever.  Not only does she have vintage-looking brick walls, but the location is great!  She is right underneath an Italian restaurant...nom nom nom.  Plus, she has the best of both worlds.  A small town feel in the heart of Boston but a big city feel because you can walk everywhere from her place (including a delicious restaurant called Anchovies where their fries are amazingggg).  One of the best parts of her place is you can walk to the top floor of the building and get a great view overlooking the city.  Great for laying out, relaxing, reading and pretty much anything. 

While I was in Boston last July, Jayne was mid-moving in.  She had a lot of great ideas that over the next couple months came together perfectly!  I wasn't able to see the final look in person, but she sent me some pictures of a few little gems in her apartment that she can't get enough of (and I can't either).

Let's start off with a panoramic view of her kitchen.  Not sure if you could tell, but there is an awesome looking wine rack on the top right of the photo.  Yep, Jayne built this little gem.  I thought it was such a great idea and I'm pretty jealous of it.  OH, and it's not in this picture, but she has one of those cute chandeliers above the entrance in her apartment--a great addition to a vintage-inspired studio. 

More Random Thoughts ~ Thanks, Ashley!

Yesterday my friend Ashley sent me a bunch more random thoughts, and I picked a handful of them to share with you guys!  Some are hilarious and some ridiculously cynical hahah.  Hope you like!  Thanks again, Ashley!

• If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

• We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public. 

• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. 

• Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't. 

• To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; To steal from many is research. 

• I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot. 

• I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila. 

• A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it. 

• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Love,
Hannah

Sari's "Snow"mageddon

Got these little gems from Sari this morning, and the title of her email "Snowmageddon." Couldn't have been a more appropriate title...not to mention great timing with Amy's post this morning!

Love,

Hannah

Guest Blogger ~ Amy!

Hey everyone!  If you read my "About Me" sections, you know I am all about getting anyone and everyone to comment and/or write up something for Love Little Gems.  If there are little gems out there that make you so happy you want to tell everyone, I hope my blog can be that outlet.  So when Amy sent me an email this past weekend with something she'd like to share, I was ecstatic!   Thank you so much, Amy!!  I inserted my own reactions to Amy in a smaller/cursive font :)

Guest Blogger ~ Amy

So when Hannah created her new blog Love Little Gems, I flipped! My life in medical school has been more than depressing this past year, and everyday I struggle to find the little gems and smile at them. But Hannah's new blog has been such a little gem itself. I look forward to reading it everyday during my 30 minutes of playing on the computer after class and lunch, before I start studying. The entries never fail to make me smile and remind me to always appreciate the small things in life. (I'm blushing, NBD)

So when I raved about the new creation to Hannah, she suggested a guest appearance (yeah that's right, writing out your positive thoughts really makes you feel good)...I also love little gems, and boy did I struggle with what to write about. Snail mail, Target (I feel ya, Hannah!), my new shades that I am obsessed with wearing, homemade cookies (mama hempels..yum), Starbucks coffee (my treat on the weekend)...but I ultimately decided on SNOW! I LOVE snow. I know you hate it Hannah (you know me too well, but it's pretty to look at from a warm room I guess), but seriously, snow never fails to put a smile on my face. I can be in the worst mood, and as soon as the magical white flakes begin falling from the sky, all my stress melts away and I get caught up in the wonder and beauty of the snow :) (she's not kidding about this, I always get an excited text or call when it's snowing)