Collection Within a Collection

Hello from Minnesota! I'm finally spending face to face time with my big sis in Minnesota. This will be my second time being in the North Star State and I've been enjoying every minute of it. First and foremost, I must compliment on the beauty of my sister Athena's home. She did an amazing job decorating the place and one thing I just keep running into are her glass jars. Every room has at least one jar filled with something different. It is just too cute and so I must share it with you all =)

1. Bobbins

2. Buttons

3.&4. Silver Spoons and Measuring Spoons


5. Rubber-bands


6. Ribbons


7. Mini Paperclips

8. Bows


9. Rings


and...10. The regular cotton balls


Well I hope you guys are enjoying your Memorial Weekend so far. I know I am! Please stay tuned and we'll be updating you on our weekend together!

Love,
Dora Danh

Beautiful Saturday!

It was such a beautiful day in California. I took a nice hike, but oh man... am I sore...

Saw lots of quails and cows, but the deers were no where to be found this morning!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend as much as I am!
Love,
Dora D.

Relevant

I read an article on Relevant Magazine May/June issue and came across this quote. It got me thinking...how much more true can this be? We are so consumed with the things surrounding us...become so busy...we focus on what needs to happen now to get it done - that we forget to focus on the big picture. To focus on the little steps that can build up a vision - to make a different. What are your thoughts?

Sweet Dreams!
♥ Athena

I've been loving to...

thrift shop - the sign says it all

listen to She & Him volume two

collecting vintage instant polaroid cameras

talk to this girl almost everyday - oh, I miss her and her daughter so very much!

drink Starbucks shaken ice green tea with eight pumps of classic! My favorite drink!

Love,
Athena

Sunshine.Allergies.Work.

Hello! My apologies on behalf of Embriven for being so quiet on the blog lately. A lot going on...maybe because the sun is finally here...well, finally for Minnesota...Yaaaay! I love spring with beautiful flowers, green trees, bright sunshine and I get to put on my spring dress. However, one thing I dislike is my horrible friend allergy always visit during Spring...Mr. sneeze, itchy eyes, runny nose and sniff, sniff sniff they all come. This whole allergy visits have been draining me down :( All I want to do is just take my pills and sleep. Then work is in the way of me enjoying Mr. Sunshine - I'm stuck in a cube with no window for 8 hours a day. It's interesting how a day of sunshine here in Minnesota is like a holiday - because it's so rare. I have taken California weather for granted!



Photos taken today after the cube escape - enjoying the sun while picking up the husband at his work (we carpool). Feel so good...wink, wink.

Happy Wednesday!

XOXO,
Athena

OK SWEETHEART.

"Erin Austin of OK SWEETHEART has the voice of Billie Holiday, but she dresses all that longing in a polka-dot vintage dress with a scalloped collar and croons to bouncy chords on piano. She sings about as many cities as she claims her project hails from — bandmates McKenzie Smith (Midlake) and guitarist Jeremy Buller (Sarah Jaffe, Bosque Brown) connect Austin (ha!) to Denton, though she resides in San Franscisco and the project has ties to Tulsa and Brooklyn. I enjoy listening to OK Sweetheart much more than I do Regina Spektor, but the comparison is an easy one to make at a cursory listen, so you hear it often."
-Lyndsay Milne


Besides the music and her adorable personality, my favorite part of the video is the 60's vibe it carries. I've recently picked up some baking as a new hobby and I just love all her baking essentials. If she actually did all the baking herself, what a mighty great job!

Love,

Dora Danh

Nadinoo

I don't mean to keep featuring the French language but our path keep crossing so I have to share. I came across this video on Nadinoo and I got to say I love everything that was put together in this video, from the setting, clothes, hair, to little accessories...

Nadinoo-Vimeo HD from Crena Watson on Vimeo.

I don't know how to speak French but could get a little sense of it - took French class for two years in high school just wish I could have continued!





These are some of my favorite pieces from Nadinoo. The designs are just oh so lovely...dream of owning a piece one day :)

Love,
Athena

Just a little imagination

I love how kids can have so much fun with the most simple thing. It only takes a little imagination to be creative. Let this little French girl tell you her creativity...


Here are some little ones with style for you to enjoy...

Small blog

Davina Zagury Photography

from Misha Lulu

Chakra for Children
Looking at these pictures make me want my own little ones to style them up with :) Check out some more from my sister's post Fashion for Young Ones.

Happy Monday!

Love,
Athena

For all the Mothers...

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. ~Washington Irving

Our beautiful mother...
What stands out about our mother is her strength, her kindness, her caring and giving heart. She's a mother that constantly shows love to us, always gives us her full attention and always be there to protect us from getting hurt. Our mother has the most caring and giving heart I've ever seen. She's such a compassionate person and would always show concern for others - and love to give. Our mother taught us many things and the one thing she taught us that is always stuck in us is to always have good posture in everything we do - from behavior to dressing yourself up. As kids no matter where we go she would put in a lot of her time to style us up to look good and cute...we got our sense of fashion from her :) Growing up we have seen her selflessness, kindness and care for others and her example taught us so much to be the person we are today.

We love you mama! Happy Mother's Day!

Taylor's Closet

I came across Taylor's Closet a couple of months ago and I was amazed by the things they are doing for their community. What is Taylor's Closet? Taylor's Closet is an organization that brings comfort to girls who have been through some sort of trauma in their lives. Whether its abuse, addiction, rejection, hopelessness, etc., Taylor's closet is there to show that someone cares and to reflect the love of Christ on them.



Various fashion designers, clothing co. have definitely offered support by donating great quality, high-end clothing items so that Taylor's Closet can bless others in need. I was truly touched after coming across their website and what they're doing is just fantastic.

Girls are truly being changed through their experiences at Taylor's Closet. Please check them out and read the different testimonies and inspirational stories.
Taylor's Closet

Taylor's Closet has truly inspired and motivated me to continue my works with embriven. I believe we can reflect Christ's love through the creative arts industry.

Hear my story on my upcoming blog post!

Love,

Dora D.

Thrift Finds

I went on a treasure hunt this week and excited about my wonderful goodies...

More vintage pyrex bowls for me...yipee! Salt and pepper vintage Tupperware. A bronze owl. Some vintage "fine bone China" teacup dishes and teacups made from England - those are beautiful! Hop on over to Her Library Adventures to check out what the others found.

XOXO
Athena

Weekend Fun

Saturday

We went to Joe's birthday party, the husband's friend and we had a really great time. Let me introduce you to Mr. Snoopaloopagus (next to me) aka Snoop and he's named after "Snoop Dog" not Snoopy :) The husband used to own Snoop with Joe but Joe now has full custody. Snoop decided to sit next to me at the party right after I sat down with a plate full of chex mix...hahaha.

Sunday

The husband and I went to the grocery store and as soon as we saw bins and bins of watermelon we looked at each other and smile from ear to ear. The Olson household LOVES watermelon and that's one reason why we look forward to summer. Watermelon season!




I prepared some yummy dinner - Carne Asada Tacos. The husband kept complimenting it so I'm sure it was delicious...I enjoyed it too :)

Just in case you're interested I found the recipe on All Recipes website but tweak it a little bit. Here's the recipe I used...

Ingredients:
2 flank steak
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 limes juiced
1 lime - cut into four
1/2 cup of olive oil
salt
garlic powder
chili powder
dried oregano
parika
1/2 cup white onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
lettuce

Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic (I love garlic so I actually double the amount), juice of two limes, and olive oil. Sprinkle some salt, black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano,and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. make sure both sides are coated. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Set aside the chopped white onion, cilantro, the lime that was cut into four pieces to use as a relish for the tacos.

Heat olive oil (or vegetable oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked.

Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side. Place a tortillas on a plate, put some beef over them. Top with some of the chopped onion, cilantro, lettuce and a spoonful of salsa (I used La Victoria extra hot salsa). Add as much cheese as you like. Squeeze the lime wedges, and serve. For a healthier way, do a lettuce wrap instead of using tortillas.


Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Athena