Shelby Nycole

Reason # 3,157,597 why I love my iPhone

2009-12-14T16:16:00.000-08:00

Playing dress up with it! Seriously. How cool are these?

{The bikini by Incipio}

{Cork covers from Amazon}

{Wood case from Urban Outfitters}

{Griffin Elan Form Chilewich Case}

{iPhone hoodie from Urban Outfitters}

If I had $228

2009-12-11T11:07:00.000-08:00

I'm really a lot in love with these criss cross platform heels from J.Crew.

ThisClose

2009-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

{image via ffffound}

We're signing loan docs today and we should get the keys in ONE WEEK! I can taste it. I can't promise many more posts in the next coming weeks as things are just way too crazy round here. But tell me one thing....can I twitter from South Africa? I mean without it costing me a bazillion dollars? I would love to keep in touch with all of you while away via tweets as blog posting may get tricky.

Happy half way through the work week to all of you! XOXO

The Countdown Begins....

2009-12-04T12:51:00.000-08:00

14 days til we leave for South Africa!! I NEED a vacation like I've never needed one before. Don't you love this Elephant necklace? A sweet little email reminder from Anthro that my vacation is near and soon I will be frolicking {from a great distance, hopefully} among these amazing creatures.

I would also like to wish a very Happy {30th!} Birthday to my girl Lynne. Love you to pieces.
XOXO and a happy weekend to all!

Whoa

2009-12-03T13:05:00.001-08:00

To say things have been crazy would be a bit of an understatement. I can't believe I'm still functioning right now. I think I have 3 full time jobs.

1. My "real" job - which is changing {in a good way - I think}
2. Our photography business - which is going well but is extremely time consuming given that I can only focus on it during nights and weekends. But I love it so I won't stop.
3. Buying a house. Going through escrow is incredible exciting and incredibly overwhelming at the same time. Not to mention that between calling our agent, signing my name a million times a day and faxing my bank statements to everyone and their dog - it's a full time job.

Throw in planning a trip to Africa in less than 3 weeks, packing the house, trying to hit the gym after work and then come home to make a decent meal...WHOA.

So those are my excuses for neglecting this little blog. I'm very sorry. I'll do my best to get back on track.

Starting with thanking all of you for the lovely comments about our Trash The Dress shoot.
Thank you :) and then asking you all if you had a nice Thanksgiving. Did you? Ours was lovely. It was really great to spend time with our families and just relax for a bit. I have a few photos to share with you. Coming soon....

I'll end this post with some photos of masks I made for a recent birthday party. Super easy to make and a fun craft night project. Just add wine. If you'd like to know how I made them leave a comment or shoot me an email. Cheers!

To Trash Or Not To Trash?

2009-11-30T13:16:00.001-08:00

I have a few friends who are VERY anti-trash the dress, they think the idea of ruining your wedding dress in anyway is incomprehensible. I, however, would jump at the chance to throw my dress back on one last time to capture some fun, crazy moments that we would not have been able to get on the wedding day. So that's exactly what I did. This is just one of my faves from our shoot in downtown San Diego with our awesome wedding photog Natalie Moser.

So what do you think? Would you "trash" your wedding dress? How far would you go with it? Or is your dress perfectly preserved up in a closet somewhere?

To see the rest of the photos from our shoot click here!

P.S. I'm not really a lush like these photos would leave you to believe.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T09:24:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a very happy, cozy, yummy Thanksgiving weekend.

I'm thankful for:

- All the amazing people in my life - I am a lucky girl!

- Spending the holiday with both my family and my in-laws - at the same table - we all love each other and get along so well I couldn't be more grateful for that.

- Being thisclose to calling myself a homeowner.

- Having the cutest, funniest, softest most loving dog in the whole world.

- My grande pumpkin spice latte this morning

- My job job {though I may complain about it - I'm lucky to have it}

- 22 days til South Africa!!

- Warm weather in the middle of November

- Text messages from my hubby

- THREE potato dishes at Thanksgiving this year

- All of you! It means the world to me that you actually stop by to see what I'm up to and leave me nice notes from time to time.

XOXO

Etsy Home Decor

2009-11-23T03:41:00.000-08:00

I'm really trying not to buy anything "new" for the new house but I think the exception may be "homemade." Why look any further than Etsy for unique homemade items or fabulous vintage finds. Just some lovelies I found while window shopping...

{here}

Happy Short Week XOXO

Out to Sea

2009-11-21T15:06:00.001-08:00

Sails & Sparkles

{Photo by me - San Diego Harbor}

Get Baking!

2009-11-20T13:00:00.000-08:00

I adore everything Alicia {and Clive} do over at The Red Deer.

But I think this time they've outdone themselves. Cupcake lover? Enjoy a cupcake for every letter in the alphabet.

Yep! Her readers voted and Alicia baked. A cupcake to go with every letter in the alphabet. 26 different kinds of cupcakes {and she rated them all too!}

Some of my favorites?

B is for Baileys - Baileys cake topped with Baileys swiss meringue buttercream and drizzled with chocolate ganache.

F is for Ferrero Rocher - Chocolate cake filled with Nutella and a roasted hazelnut, topped with Nutella swiss meringue buttercream and chopped hazelnuts, drizzled with chocolate and finished off with half a Ferrero Rocher.

P is for Peanuts - Chocolate cake with half a peanut butter cup inside, topped with peanut butter swiss meringue buttercream and half a peanut butter cup.

Pretty impressive. huh? For the rest of em - click here!

This makes me happy

2009-11-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

You have to be a Coug to understand :)

Just Because

2009-11-15T10:44:00.001-08:00

I'm being lazy, watching football and waiting for R to get back from surfing so we can make a big ol brunch. I'm also going back through photos I've pulled from design blogs to use as inspiration for our future home. This one is from Desire to Inspire. We just so happen to have a wall/space just like this in the new home. The perfect location for a table to display some pretty.

One thing I'm looking forward to the most is browsing consignment and thrift stores for new {well new to us} pieces of furniture. The goal is to not buy anything new {except for the couch} Hold me to it.
Happy Sunday!

Photo { + } Quote

2009-11-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

A photo from our maternity shoot with Kelly & Craig - see the rest of this gorgeous couple here.

And have a happy, happy weekend!

{quote by Melba Colgrove}

On Safari

2009-11-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to post about runway shows or anything couture, I leave that up to my girls but I came across the spring collection from Chloe and I looove it. The colors, fabrics - all of it. And I'm totally getting a safari vibe from the color scheme and all those cute little shorts. Perfect inspiration for our trip to South Africa next month...

This next one doesn't exactly scream "middle of the African bush" but it was too pretty not to share. Wouldn't it be perfect for a casual beach wedding?

{all images via}

Home Sweet Home

2009-11-12T10:44:00.001-08:00

I have some news to share...I'm a little nervous telling everyone because I strongly believe in the power of the jinx but I think your good vibes and positive thoughts can overcome any jinxes :)

So with that build up out of the way......We're in escrow! Yippee! After over 50 offers, the killing of several trees {seriously, there needs to be a more eco-friendly way to buy a house these days} and driving our real estate agents absolutely crazy - our home has found us at last.

The inspection went really well, as did the appraisal and we've been signing boatloads of paperwork but no champagne or happy dances until the keys are in our hot little hands! So lots of positive thoughts that everything goes as planned and on December 16th we officially become homeowners. Merry Christmas to us!

Here's a photo from the listing - it's of the upstairs deck and you can even see the ocean in the distance! We plan to spend many evenings up there enjoying a cocktail or two. You're all welcome to join us :)

Some Pretty for your Tuesday

2009-11-10T10:08:00.000-08:00

Upon my return from New York I was welcomed back with a crazy busy weekend. We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday on Friday night with dinner at Oceanaire - to be honest it's not a good since chef Brian Malarkey left.

On Saturday {Deb's actual birthday} I took her to see The Lion King. We had a blast. The costumes and music are phenomenal. Now we're even more excited for our South Africa trip next month.

Sunday we had TWO shoots. A maternity shoot in the morning with our good friends Kelly & Craig and then an afternoon shoot with the happiest little 17 month old I've ever met. I'll post photos soon. Until then - here's some pretty from Rene's garden.

XOXO

New York, New York

2009-11-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

{image here}

I love it even more now. My second trip in 3 months to the city that never sleeps. We watched the Yankees win the World Series and celebrated with the locals, we saw Rock of Ages on Broadway {SO FUN!} and even got a photo with Constantine after the show. We had amazing meals and enjoyed the chilly {but not too chilly} weather. Thank you, New York, for all your hospitality. See you next time!

Feel Like Makin' Whoopie....Pies?

2009-10-30T09:45:00.001-07:00

My mom in law gave me a hard time last night for neglecting my blog. So this one's for you Renè

I couldn't resist trying this recipe using my leftover pumpkin from the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies - Recipe from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

FILLING

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
2 teaspoons maple extract

CAKE

3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Preparation

FILLING

Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add marshmallow creme and maple extract; beat until blended and smooth. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

CAKE

Sift first 7 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars in another large bowl until blended. Gradually beat in oil. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients in 2 additions alternately with milk in 1 addition, beating to blend between additions and occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Cover and chill batter 1 hour.
Arrange 1 rack in bottom third of oven and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; spray lightly with nonstick spray. Spoon batter onto baking sheet to form cakes (about 3 level tablespoons each; about 12 per baking sheet), spacing apart. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool cakes completely on baking sheets on rack. Using metal spatula, remove cakes from parchment.
Line cooled baking sheets with clean parchment; spray with nonstick spray, and repeat baking with remaining batter.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling on flat side of 1 cake. Top with another cake, flat side down. Repeat with remaining cakes and filling. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.

Warning these are decadent. I'm sure you can see that from the amount of butter involved. We're not winning any health awards here.

Hope everyone has a Happy and Safe Halloween weekend.

We're off to Palm Springs again and then I'm headed to NYC next week.

See you soon!

XOXO

Photo { + } Quote

2009-10-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

I found it! Fall in San Diego...

{Photos by me quote by John Burroughs}

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. Do anything exciting? I dragged Rich to Sea World - we had a blast. I'll post photos soon.

Happy Monday!

Flickr Faves :: Fall

2009-10-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

Checking in on my flickr friends and it appears that - despite what it looks like in San Diego - Fall has definitely arrived. Look at these gorgeous colors! I hope to find a little bit of Fall in SoCal this weekend and share it with you next week. Click and be happy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-10-22T11:33:00.001-07:00

{image via eatingisart.com}

So maybe I'm getting better at this baking thing...I made a bunch {like 3 or 4 dozen} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies last night and brought them into work this morning at around 9am - By 11am they were GONE. All of them. I thought they were amazing but wasn't sure what others would think. Rich is not a fan of pumpkin and was not impressed so I had low expectations. Boy did I underestimate my cookies.

Here's the recipe from George Duran of the Food Network:

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

ENJOY!

So Very Happy

2009-10-22T08:50:00.000-07:00

{Print by dazeychic}

Let's Squish Our Fruits Together

2009-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Grocery shopping made better...

"Life. They turned Life into a musical"

Love it.

Reason # 1,252,498 why I love my iPhone

2009-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Camera Apps! I'm collecting them like they're going out of style.

Toy Camera: Applies different filters to your photos like Vintage Green, Vintage Warm, High Saturation, Toning Sepia and more!

Big Button: Great for self portraits! Touch anywhere on the screen to capture a photo. No more trying to find that little button.

Genius: Self Timer, Zoom, Anti Shake - all the bells and whistles you'd fine on your "regular" camera.

Camera Bag: One of my personal faves. It's like 10 cameras in one! Snap a photo with any of these fab effects: Holga, Lomo, Instant, 1962, 1974....

Shake It Photo: My NEW favorite. Take a photo, shake it like a Polaroid picture, and watch it develop before your eyes. Impress your friends. Here's a look at my morning using the Shake It app:

I love wearing flip flops in October {notice the little bite marks. wonder where those came from?}

Little Zulu

My morning coffee

On the way to work

Palm trees and blue skies

Under the weather....but feeling better

2009-10-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

The Clark household was sick last week. Yuck. I don't know about you but when I'm sick I'm miserable and want nothing but a cozy sofa, many blankets and the TV remote. When Rich is sick he becomes superman and cleans every inch of the house killing any and every germ, bacteria, virus - whatever. While I'm not complaining about his cleaning, it really interferes with my miserableness and naps and Design on a Dime.

Anyhoo - we're just about back on track and ready to face the week. I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I left the house for a bit yesterday for a fun family portrait session. Here's a little teaser. 4 adorable sisters. So fun, so stylish and so very SoCal.

Happy Monday!