LOVE NOTE #169: Obession with Floral Appliques!

Happy Weekend Friends!

I hope everyone has had a nice enjoyable one so far.  It's really warm today in Chicago.  Again, I'm one of those who loves colder weather.  But if you love sunbathing, today would be your day here in the Midwest!  Funny that I ever would end up here... only because I never imagined I would.  Delighted just the same as this truly is a beautiful city and a lot of fun things to do here!  Potato really has adjusted well.  He loves walking down near the lake.  He's quite the cosmopolitan cutie!

Anyways, I wanted to post this awhile ago.  In between boards and rotations, sometimes I get a chance to dream about the wedding day.  Still, no date yet.  Hoping to finish school and then land residency is first.  Then I can plan!  If all goes to plan, hopefully September 2013!!!  I love the dress I purchased it right when I got engaged.  It's a simple white gown (my second one for part of the reception is ivory!) that's part classic and part modern.  Hard to describe.  It has a fitted bodice but there is just enough poof at the bottom to make me feel like a princess!  Not too much, but just enough.  Why choose when you can have both?!

Although initially I was in love with the Maggie Sottero Rhianna Royale, the boutiques I went to did not carry it.    The sales associate would have me try on a "similar" gown, and tell me to go ahead and order the Rhianna Royale without actually having have seen/felt/worn the actual gown.  I wasn't ready to shell out that much for something I wasn't 100% sure I would like, and of course, no returns or exchanges.  Lucky me, I found something else I was able to try on and fell in love with too!  It has some detailing, is lightweight, and just made me feel like a bride!  I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but I'm glad I kept an open mind!  However, it lacked the floral detailing that I so loved on the Maggie dress.

The solution?  Make my own flower appliques!  The hardest part for me was cutting out the little squares.  After awhile I realized it didn't have to be perfect and I started zipping through these little fabric flowers in no time.  I would watch study videos and make these at the same time.  I have added them to the original dress and am in love with the dress even more!  You know, it's those personal touches that truly make the dress your very own!  I placed them along the sweetheart neckline and then scattered them along the fuller skirt portion of the dress!  I'm debating if I should add some floral strap(s).  Just like the Maggie Sottero dress, my dress has the lace-up back so it requires less tailoring since you can just adjust the laces to your figure.  It's ideal for girls like me who likes to indulge chocolate chip cookies, ice cream, Doritos.  You won't have to be too worried because there is give on these types of dresses (within reason - I'm not saying it's okay to eat your way to 50 pounds but 5-10 pounds shouldn't be a huge deal!)  Or, if you lose weight too (um, I wish!) all you need to do is tighten the laces.  Short of a spandex wedding dress (I'm not judging, just saying!) there is some leeway should you get a little curvier;)  Since I feel like I have a rather difficult body to fit (don't we all feel that way sometimes?!), this was the perfect solution.

I wish I had the dress to show (I'm not superstitious so I don't mind showing the dress before walking down the aisle!)  but I didn't bring it with me to Chicago.  Although sometimes I wish I did, just to admire it!  I wish I could be one of those girls who's hush hush and keeps it under lock and key - but I guess I get so excited I can't wait to share things sometimes!  I used a combination of both satin and organza to make flowers of varying sizes to give depth to the dress.  I also added some petite crystals and pearls to enhance the flowers.  I soooooo adore the finished product.

So far all you brides on a budget, here's a great way to enhance an otherwise simpler dress without having to break the bank.  After all, I felt that if I was only going to wear it for a day, I didn't want to spend too much coin.  Okay, I would love to break it out once a year  and have a Wedding Dress Party Day... and occasionally when I wash the dishes too...;)  So get creative, ladies!  Just because the dress of your dreams isn't perfect as is on the hanger, but you love the style & fit, you can always add extras and make it what you always dreamed it could be!  In fact, I actually like my gown so much more than the Rhianna Royale because there is a more ballgown feel to the skirt but without the bulk.  Very lightweight in comparison to many of the other dresses I tried.  It's just perfect for a French garden outdoor ceremony and reception!

XoX,

Marikym

LOVE NOTE #168: Amour de Paris!

Happy Tuesday Friends!

First off, I wanted to wish my Mom a very happy birthday today!!!  The first woman you emulate; the most beautiful woman in memory.  Her cooking skills are amazing.  The best Pho ever!  Thanks for always encouraging me to always try to reach my full potential and chase my dreams.

What a lovely day in Chicago.  Warm and sunny.  However, I actually prefer cooler weather.  Well, I'm not saying a blizzard.  But I don't mind the rain either:)  Probably my favorite season is the Fall.  The air is crisp and cool.  The best sleeping weather.  But I digress...

Anyways, my thoughts on this bottle of bubbly is that I will definitely buy it again.  I can't deny that I was delighted in its namesake and the beautifully dressed bottle.  Amour de Paris is a peach flavored sparkling wine.  It's crisp and the sweetness is subtle.  I purchased this at Trader Joe's for $4.99.  Call it my cheap-fancy indulgence that goes well with capellini and a white wine reduction sauce or just a Lean Cuisine.  The bottle makes me feel like I'm transported to another place in time.  It takes dinner to a different level.  Besides, I always get a kick out of hearing the cork getting popped;)

I know it's non apropos to add ice, but I always do.  Non apropos either to still love Arbor Mist - but I do too!  My palate is hardly elegant, I suppose.  But I'm a girl who knows what she likes.  And maybe knowing what you want, takes a certain level of sophistication after all.

XoX,

Marikym

LOVE NOTE #167: At-Home Manis:)

Hey Girlies!

Looking for some fabulous shades and formulas to do a french mani at home?  Definitely check out OPI Alpine Snow (tips) and Bubble Bath.  After frequenting the nail salon for years, watching, and learning their techniques, I can now do it at home:)  I save a small fortune ($20 bucks a pop + tip every two weeks really adds up!)  I won't deny, at first I was really intimidated.  I used the freestyle form for the white tips and then went back and used a flat brush #6 dipped in nail polish remover to form the "half moon".  All I can say is practice, practice, and more practice:)  I love having the tips drawn on a bit thicker, and the nail techs never would oblige me.  Something about having the TV on, a glass of bubbly, and doing my own nails is so relaxing!

Anyways, not only is OPI a great brand to try, check out ORLY too.  I love their french mani colors as well.  Although between the two, I like the OPI brushes a lot better.  But formula wise, they seem comparable.  So if you are planning a night in and want to pamper yourself, score some bottles of pretty polish and make yourself fabulous!  Don't forget the glossy top coat:)

XoX,

Marikym

LOVE NOTE #166: I Heart Veggie Corn Dogs!

Happy Monday Lovers!

I love these meatless corn dogs from Trader Joe's.  Seems like an oxymoron.  You feel like you should be guilty each time you take a bite because it's that good.  What a great substitute for the original sister version.  Carnival food with out carnival-food calories.  I always have a side of ketchup and mustard, of course.  A taste good and feel good treat available in a pack of four in the freezer section.  Always a staple in my kitchen:)

Anywhos, America's Got Talent premieres tonight.  More anticipation since the ever polarizing Howard Stern will be one of the judges.  I'm interested in finding out how he will judge, how he will say things, and how his anti-censor persona will fare on prime time.  Love him.  Hate him.  He's going to go down in the history books as iconic.

The Bachelorette will be premiering tonight as well.  Emily, the attractive former bachelor contestant vying and winning Brad's (who really should have chosen Chantal O.!!!) wedding proposal is now in search of a relationship that will hopefully last this time.  The twice engaged (that I know of anyways) and single mom, will be trying out a houseful of men to see which one fits.  I wish her well, but I seriously doubt a girl like her needs a television show to find an ideal suitor.  Perhaps the quest for love is only part of her agenda?  Whatever the reason, I indulge in said guilty pleasure:)  I love love... no matter how many times around.

Finally, Smash!  What can I say?  Addicted.  A great cast.  A great story line.  It's got music.  It's got romance and passion.  The only thing is that they make me wait a whole week to see what happens next... eeek.

So with all this good TV, I have to carve time out to study for board exams too.  And pass them.  This summer.  Then apply for residency.  I'm hoping I'll land residency in 2013.  Oh please pray for me.


XoX,

Marikym

LOVE NOTE #165: Chanel Chance Eau Tendre!

Hello Lovers!

I have been busy with rotations and studying for board exams scheduled for this summer.  My beloved blog has been a bit neglected.  I haven't logged into blogger in awhile, and the interface is different.  I was a bit intimidated.  I'm sure with time, I will get accustomed to it:)  

However, I'm so excited about a cookbook on order.  Maybe it will inspire me again!  I've been relying on semi-homemade meals as of late.  With Trader Joe's a short distance from my apartment, everything comes so easy whether cooking or merely heating.  I got hooked on Trader Joe's when I was probably 6-7.  My Daddy brought home a tub of cashew butter.  And they say the rest is history:)

It's lovely here in Chicago.  Barely a winter, in terms of snowfall.  And now it's spring and nearing summer.  What better way to ring in the new warmer seasons with a delightful new fragrance?  I have always adored all things Chanel (but my pocketbook really reads GAP or LOFT on sale!)  Such elegance to her fashion house.  Who wouldn't want to wear a little bit of that fabulousness every day, right?  Try as I might, her fragrances of the past were too overpowering.  Although No.5, Allure, and the original Chance grace my vanity, they have more dust than fingerprints.  Sigh.  Anyways, (un)fortunately, ULTA is a few blocks from my apartment as well (living in Chicago on a budget is like a huge tease!)  This was the last bottle.  Of course.  Armed too with such positive reviews from Makeupalley.com, I decided to purchase without ever having sampled the fragrance.  Testers for all the Chanel fragrances were available, except for Chance Eau Tendre.  Of course.  Did I mention it was the last bottle?  Oh yes.  What was a girl to do?  And I took a chance (pun intended!)

Well, life is about chances, and sometimes it's a hit, sometimes it's a miss. The verdict?  Total hit!!!!!  So different than the other fragrances in the lineup.  And it's a delicate pink.  A fruity floral of the grown-up variety.  Reminds me of Lancome's So Magic I use to use and now discontinued.  It use to be my signature scent.  The one that you reach for, that makes you smile upon the first spritz.  I haven't had that feeling until now.  I love this sweet, soft and gorgeous scent!  If the other Chanel fragrances haven't worked for you, definitely try this one!

XoX,

Marikym