Zoey Deschanel as the NEW GIRL

Ah... New Girl premieres September on FOX. I am most definitely excited for this show... I know I've blogged about Zoey Deschanal before, but I just can't help bragging about how amazing she is.

This amazing indie girl can act, sing, write, and has an amazing heart in which you can tell from her blogs at www.hellogiggles.com.



Her band She and Him is definitely on my top ten list because the sound is so raw and so unique.

Her work definitely has an indie edge to it in which I'm all about! One of the things everyone just loves about her is that her work is so different from regular mainstream actors and artists. She embraces her differences and its definitely giving her a boost/advantage in her career.

She's the type of girl who knows she's different (dark hair, shorter than the average hollywood star, in an indie/folk band, stars in independent films) and loves it. It definitely gives her that cool-girl persona in my opinion =)




She's now going from the big screen to the small screen as you would say (TV Show) and I couldn't be more excited. The show is about a quirky/geeky girl who caught her boyfriend cheating on her at their home. She decided to move out and moved in with a group of bachelors who thought they could use her to get them to her model friends. Little did they know, this girl is an emotional mess and they've decided to help her move on.

After watching the trailer, I just completely fell in love with it. This is definitely my type of show and my type of sense of humor... It definitely reminds me of my goofy self and all the crazy emotional coaster I've been through!



XO,

Dora D.

Behind the scenes - Video Shoot

We've recently shot a small promo video for the upcoming fashion show. It's still in the editing process but here's a little behind the scenes for you!



You can now buy tickets for the show here!
Embrace Fashion Show

Have a great weekend!

XO,

Dora D.

Here & There with one word

Work


Left


Traffic


Thrifted


Refreshing

xoxo,
Athena

Our website is here!!!

For those who haven't follow us on Facebook (make sure you do) we just announced our website launch last night! Come check it out here! Tickets for the Embrace fashion show are also on sale now. Go to our Events page on our website to purchase your tickets! You don't want to wait because tickets are limited!

Make sure to check back for our online shop announcement...wink, wink!

♥♥♥
Embriven

dress-up

Dress up time! This is my 80's inspired look that I took 2 weeks ago :) I'm starting to have fun with the dress-up post...was a little uncomfortable with it the first few times but the camera man did a little pushing so I can break out of my box. A lot of the time I can't stop laughing or goofing around!


Wishing you a wonderful week!

♥♥♥
Athena

Summer Fun

Bonjour! Summer is here in Minnesota and I've been having some fun with husband and friends and working on some stuff. I've been...

Up north to a friend's cabin by a lake. We had a nice relaxing time.

The backdrop of these photos is the color of the cabin - the name of the cabin is Big Green. Guess why? :)

Oh and because it was so hot and humid in Minnesota it fogged up our camera and that's why this photo is so foggy. Who says Minnesota is only cold? :P


We had bonfire for a couple of nights. Husband making smores in this photos. It was really fun with the friends but not with our mosquito friends...I have so many bites from them. Even though we bundled up like my husband did in this picture...they still managed to get through our clothes and to our skin...ahh.

We did a little birthday celebration for the man :)

And we went on a date today. We had dinner at Ruby Tuesday and watched a movie. This was my yummy meal, classic burger with sweet potato fries and grilled zucchini...Mmmm.

Have a wonderful weekend!

XOXO,
Athena

Fashion Photoshoot

The photos are here! Thi Nguyen (Photographer) and Chloe Conatser (Model) did an amazing job with this photoshoot. They sure made my job a whole lot easier. I had so much fun with this shoot from gathering the props, picking the locations, and choosing the outfits with the greatest assistant/sister (Lynne Tran)... these talented ladies made my job feel like a breeze. I am so blessed to have these gals in my life. Here's a preview of some of the photos. Hope you all enjoy.





Thi Photography


XO,

Dora D.

Photoshoot 1 - Behind the Scenes

Here's a sneak peak of the photoshoot we did today to promote the Embrace Fashion Show!



I had so much fun today! Hope you all had a great Saturday so far.
XO,
Dora D.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Did a baking session with my nieces last night... Outcome --> SUCCESSFUL! Here's our recipe and instructions!

Red Velvet Cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated white sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring
1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.


I got these adorable ones from Michaels =)
2.In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4. In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

5. In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

6. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 - 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1. In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla and confectioners sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Using the whisk attachment, gradually add the heavy cream and whip until the frosting is thick enough to pipe.
4. Add more sugar or cream as needed to get the right consistency.

Makes 12 cupcakes.



XO,
Dora D.

Saturday in San Francisco

I was finally able to visit China Town in San Francisco over the past weekend. My very first time being there was when I was about 5 and haven't been there since. I had a nice time... I was able to embrace the nice architecture as well as the beautiful string instruments that were played by these super cute Chinese elders. They happened to be filming the movie "5 Year Engagement" while we were there so it made it even more exciting!






xo,
Dora D.

Fun Filled Fourth of July.

Ahhh... I know I've been bad with keeping up.. but I'm here now... I've had an awesome past two weeks. My friend is now engaged! Also had a great time on 4th of July and was able to visit the city (SF) for the day. I love life and love being blessed every single day!

I figured since I didn't post a weekend inspiration on our facebook this weekend... I thought I'd try to catch up by sharing this simple fact;
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." - Helen Keller

Wearing a dress from ModCloth and a solar powered fan hat.
Well have a great night everyone!

Love,
Dora D.

Thrift Finds

It has been awhile since I've shared about my treasure hunt :) Here are some of the items that I found a few weeks ago...

I was so excited to have finally found a vintage suitcase. I've been searching for one for a while now. I've also got a vintage thermos, coffee pot and some cool vintage wooden spools. Don't forget to check out Her Library Adventures treasure hunt.

Happy Monday!

Love,
Athena

Dress-Up

This was my outfit from last weekend when the husband took me out for Independence Day. Except I took my cowboy boots off and put on my clear jelly shoes from the 80's since it was so hot.


I had so much fun hanging out with the husband the whole day :) He took me to the Global Market in St. Paul. It's a shopping area with different vendors from different ethnic background - it was pretty interesting. Afterward we went to St. Anthony Main - I think that's our new hang out place now :) - and ate at Vic's. I had an Italian flatbread pizza and it was Mmmmm...so good.

The husband did such a great job taking me out :)

Love,
Athena

Atlas Hands

Happy weekend! I just saw this video on Marie Bee a new blog that I found through Skunkboy Creatures (a blog that we are a part of sponsoring this month). The beach makes me miss California!


Such a beautiful video with a beautiful song! Enjoy!

Muah!
Athena

Home Inspired

I keep wanting to rearrange our house again but I know it's not time yet. It's just so tempting looking at all these home decorations and ideas...

I've been loving the rhinoceros bust and this ordinal dresser at Anthropologie. Just don't think I will have a chance to ever own them but maybe I can recreate them one day :)

Can't take my eyes off of this unique lamp and I'm still searching for a vintage telephone - hopefully, I can find one during my treasure hunt.

Here's a slightly worn sideboard that I love.

I want a black chalk board just like this in our office.

Love, love this table and the chairs.

This Krispy Kreme donuts painting is just too good to resist!

XOXO,
Athena

Red, White, and Blue

Happy 4th of July everyone. I bet everyone has great plans to celebrate our nation's independence day. But of course, the most patriotic way to celebrate whatever fun event you have planned is the color theme: Red, White, and Blue









Now I'm off to the beach! Happy Independence Day! Enjoy!
Love,
Dora D.