Iconic must haves of 2011

*Anna Dello Russo wearing Miu Miu glitter booties*

It's almost time to celebrate the start of a new year and for this occasion I thought it would be a good idea to put together the fashion items that I think made a statement in 2011... wether you loved them or hated them they were worn by some of the hippest fashionistas and featured in the most iconic fashion bibles ;)

What are your plans for New Years eve?

*Part of my YSL arty collection*

*Emilie from http://www.mylittlefashiondiary.net/ wearing Giuseppe Zanotti glitter ankle booties*

*Anna Dello Russo wearing the Versace for H&M leather dress*

*Jessica Alba wearing Jeffrey Campbell's Lita booties*

*Anna Dello Russo wearing Prada snakeskin boots*

*Carolina Engman from http://www.fashionsquad.com/ wearing her Celine bag*

*Chiara from http://www.theblondesalad.com/ wearing her Hermes collier de chien bracelet*

*http://carolinesmode.com/*

*Pictures from the Isabel Marant fashion show*

*Giovanna Battaglia wearing the Valentino studded heels*

*Zara golden clutch from http://tuulavintage.blogspot.com/*

Look who couldn't wait to open her present!

This year was our first Christmas in Singapore and we celebrated just the 2 of us with our bunny rabbit Pousse Mousse, which from the pictures I think you can tell was just impatient to open her present ;)

For the dinner menu we tried to mix in our French/Italian cultures with an Asian twist and here is how it turned out:

 - Seafood platter (oysters and shrimps)

- Salmon tartar with ginger and wasabi

        - Scallops with a cream of saffron and chives 

* Starters paired Piper Heidsieck rose sauvage Champagne

- Roasted duck stuffed with mushrooms and sauteed grenaille potatoes 

* Main course paired with a Chateauneuf du Pape red wine 

- Pandoro  

How did you enjoy your Christmas? are you ready for New Years eve ?:) 

*She loved her present!*

I wanted to share some pictures that my parents sent me of their Christmas eve in Venice beach (L.A) which I find beautiful... I wish I was there with them to celebrate :)

*Enjoying an aperitivo and watching the sunset during Christmas eve*

*... and what a sunset!!!*

Christmas baking week - My first gingerbread house

Here we are in the final series of the Christmas baking week: my first gingerbread house.

I thought it was going to be the most challenging recipe of the week but it turned out to be pretty simple!

For the gingerbread dough recipe click here,  once you have cut out the dough into house pieces bake them and let them cool down completely. In the meantime prepare the royal icing which is what you will use to put the house together, the texture of the icing should be very thick if not there is chance your house will fall apart, here is the recipe I used:

Royal icing recipe: 

2 egg whites

4 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp of cream of tartar 

Once you have constructed the house decorate as you wish using the rest of the icing and your favorite candy! I also added my Christmas meringues do you remember them?   

I wish you all a Merry Christmas :)

Christmas baking week - Gingerbread feast!

Here is the second part of my Christmas baking week : Gingerbread men!

What would the Christmas holiday be without the smell of delicious wintery spices of cakes and mulled wine in the house?! As I looked for the perfect recipe I realized that most recipes use molasses which I am not too fond of, therefore I use Lyle's golden syrup (previously used in this recipe). 

Gingerbread men are also a delicious treat to bring to the office and they can also make a fun decoration for your Christmas tree!

*Recipe here 

*Spices used for the gingerbread men: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon*

*Make holes before cooking them if you wish to hang them on your Christmas tree*

*A perfect treat to bring to the office (labels designed by me and can also be found here)*

Candle up

-4 to Christmas eve and in between baking and decorating the house, I am looking for candle inspirations. To me candles are essential in a house, they just make everything much more cozy and when it comes to Christmas, I like to create a seasonal candle set. Here are the inspirations I found so far.

Do you often use candles in your home?

*All pictures from Pinterest.com

Christmas baking week - Meringue trees and snowmen

Christmas is less than a week away and it is time for the seasonal baking.

Do you remember my Halloween meringue ghosts? Well, as I love meringue so much I decided to experiment it with Christmas trees and snowmen. Here is the result... what do you think about them? 

This weekend we also decorated our Christmas tree, have you done yours yet?

(Click here for the recipe)

*Part of our Christmas tree decorations*

* Happy Birthday Mum :)

A gift for the fashionable one

*For the fashionista who just can't wait for the Marni for H&M collection - Marni necklace*

Ingredients for a perfect Christmas online retail therapy session:

- Your computer/ iPad

- Click on your favorite online shopping site (mine is net a porter)

- Prepare a glass of warm mulled wine accompanied by some homemade    

  gingerman cookies

- Shop your Christmas gift list ;)

Here are some rules that I follow when buying a present:

- If buying something for the persons home, make sure you know their taste so the style of present matches with their interior decor

- I never buy perfumes as gifts as I think these are too personal unless I know exactly the one they want or the kind of scent they like

- Buy fashionable items for the fashionable person, if the person knows nothing about fashion and trends he/she will be happier with something more to their taste

- When buying a book know the persons taste, If he/she is interested in politics and history I won't buy them Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic collection ;)

These are pretty much common sense... now back to the fashionable gift guide inspirations!!!

*For the sequin lover party girl - Dolce&Gabbana sequined felt fedora*

*For the fashionable traveller - Jimmy Choo luggage tag*

*For the friend with a fashionable house - Missoni candle*

*If your friend is like Pippa Middleton, always spotted with her takeaway hot drink and Modalu bag, this is a perfect gift for her ;) - Jimmy Choo hot drink sleeve*

*For the fashionable writer - Ostrich feather pen Maison Martin Margiela by L'atelier d'exercices*

*For the DVF lover - DVF earphones*

*For the YSL lover -YSL arty ring*

*For the fashionable player - Lanvin playing cards*

*For the fashion photography lover*

*For the sake of all those little coins wondering around our house! - Gucci coin purse*

*For the technofashionista - Dolce & Gabbana iPad sleeve*

*All pictures from the net-a-porter site: http://www.net-a-porter.com/