We made the cutest Vegan Valentine's Day pizza's and they were easy, kid friendly and fun!  We bought all of our ingredients from Whole Foods.  Isla is severely allergic to dairy and eggs and Whole Foods has an abundant selection of allergy friendly foods. We used their pre-made dough (in the freezer aisle) and this dairy free cheese.  Pepperoni is tricky, because a lot of salami is made with milk culture (so random right?) We bought this brand which is vegan.  To start, we prepped all of our ingredients in these cute storage containers from Think Co.

Vegan Valentine Pizza Recipe + How to cook Whole Foods Frozen dough 

Step 1: Thaw dough in fridge for at least 24 hours

Step 2: Preheat oven to 450.

Step 3: Use a heart shaped cookie cutter or kitchen scissors to cut out your pepperoni into heart shapes.

Step 4: Lightly flour dough and surface. Roll the dough out until it's about 12" in diameter and then form a heart shape with your hands.  If the dough doesn't want to stay spread out cover with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes and then roll again.

Step 5: Add pizza sauce and then sprinkle on cheese and toppings of your choice.

Step 6: Bake for 15-20 minutes on a non-stick baking sheet.

Hope you and your loved ones enjoy making this as much as we do! 

3 Simple Ways to Give Your Living Room an Affordable Update

In case you haven't heard, we've moved to Seattle! Before we left we stopped by Living Spaces to give our living room a Seattle-friendly refresh. I'm sharing why we moved and my three easy and affordable ways to give your living room a refresh on livingspaces.com if you'd like to see.  I had so much fun partnering with Living Spaces and can't wait to show you all of our finds and how we styled them.

This post was sponsored by Living Spaces.  You can shop all my picks here.

3 Fun Things To Do On Mother's Day

Isla's shoes: Janie and Jack; Isla's scalloped shorts: Janie and Jack

I was so surprised and touched by ALL the people (even the random people) who wished me a happy Mother's Day once I became a mother.  It's really sweet to be recognized for the hard work you put in and really does make you feel proud and special. Because it IS a special day! With my second Mother's day approaching, I am thinking of celebrating by doing a fun family activity.  Last year we got dressed up and did a beautiful brunch. It made the day so relaxing and special.  We are going to start the tradition and go back again this year.  I'm going to dress Isla in the adorable outfit from Janie and Jack.  They have the cutest special occasion children's clothing with the most gorgeous details.

Isla's embroidered bomber jacket: Janie and Jack; Isla's striped ruffle sleeve top: Janie and Jack

If you're thinking of starting a Mother's Day tradition or just doing something special this year, here are a few ideas - and yes, they all include wine.

1. Brunch at Rancho Valencia

We love this place.  We also make reservations here for Easter Brunch.  The brunch itself is so yummy and they serve everything from breakfast classics to sushi and lobster benedict.  On top of that, they have fun activities for kids down in the lawn area, from a mini petting zoo to a build your own bouquet.  It's pricey but super fun!

2. Tea and a stroll at the Gardens

Nothing feels more special then a high tea and stroll in the gardens.  I adore the Huntington Library Gardens in Pasadena which have a beautiful tea (reservations highly recommended) and the most gorgeous grounds complete with Geese. It gets pretty warm this time of year so sunscreen is a must!
Some other local gardens include Sherman Gardens in Corona Del Mar which have this lovely umbrella display and Rogers Garden which also has an amazing restaurant, The Farmhouse.

3. Picnic in the Park

Don't want to spend a lot of money and just need some quality family time, planning a picnic in the park could be a great idea. You can make it special and dress up for the occasion.  We love heading over to The Great Park in Irvine.  It has an infinite amount of spots to picnic as well as a carousel and mini park for the kids. And if you're really adventurous you can go on the iconic orange Great Park Balloon which has a 360 degree view that spans 40 feet. If that's not your cup of tea (definitely not mine, yikes!) you can also stroll through the Farm + Food lab which is a unique interactive garden for all ages.  Lastly on Sundays, there is lovely farmers market!

What are your plans this Mother's Day?!  I'd love to hear any traditions your family loves.

Happy Mother's Day Mamas!


This post was sponsored by Janie and Jack luxury kids clothing.  You can see all Janie and Jack's beautiful pieces here.

Photography by The King's Rose

Family Photos

We officially took our first professional family photos this last November.  I was so excited and basically created a vision board with all my holiday family photo ideas.  I envisioned matching mommy and me pine crowns and sweet moments of Isla perched perfectly on my hip, foreheads touching while Jon looked at us lovingly.  This is not what happened.

Things got wrong the second we stepped foot in the pretty tree grove.  Isla panicked when the long grass touched her.  She's very finicky when things get "stuck to her." Then, to make matters worse, the onslaught of attention and camera immediately had her in tears. She didn't want either of us to pick her up or hold her hand.  And the more I stressed, the more Isla cried, probably picking up on my anxious vibes.  As for those matching pine crowns...not a chance! It's not every day we shell out money for something like this and all I could think was, what a waste!
However thanks to our talented -and patient!- photographer we got back so many sweet and beautiful shots.  While I don't think we have a photo with ALL of us smiling.  We definitely captured the day and the spirit of our little family.


{Me, desperately trying to make her wear her crown}








{My favorite shot of the day}

We definitely have a few framers.  This is my favorite shot of the day.  I chose to have it mounted on the most beautiful 100% bamboo wood from Photography.com and it turned out gorgeous!  The natural wood grains appear through the high definition printing and it came ready to hang.  It's our first family photo in the house and I'm sticking it right in our living room, even if they say you shouldn't, I don't care, it's too pretty not to be seen.  Photography.com offers other super cool alternatives to print on--like glass, planked wood, or even metal!  In the end having a sweet picture of our family hanging in our home was worth allll the meltdowns and stress.

Photography.com is offering my readers Buy 1 print get 3 Free! You can find the offer here.

For future reference (that is, if I can convince Jon to do this again), do you have any tips for taking photos with toddlers?  I'd love to hear!

Links I Like

{Romper}

We're gearing up for the Holidays over here.  I'm thinking of taking Isla to see this cool Santa.  And now that Isla is getting older we're thinking of starting some holiday traditions.  Maybe we will go see Christmas lights or bake sugar cookies.  Do you have any holiday traditions with kids?  I'd love to hear!  Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends and traditions and here are a few fun links.

The prettiest starry nails.

We got Isla this pint sized table and chairs for Christmas.

The best red booties for the holidays.

If you need a NYE dress you have to check out THEEGIRL.  Isla and I did a shoot for them and I got to wear this fab dress.

The cutest instagram account ever.

We made this one-pot Mexican casserole and it was reeeally good!

A brave and powerful Me Too story.

I Tried the "Naked" Trend

There's been a new and exciting trend that's been all over my Instagram feed.  Women are wearing visible, pretty bras under sheer tops which has been appropriately dubbed the "Naked" trend.  As a somewhat conservative mom I wasn't sure this one was a suitable look for me.  However, I decided to give it a try because my favorite sheer blouse just doesn't look as good over a tank. I layered my feminine blouse and my go-to Upbra Stay-up Strapless Bra and went out on the town.  To my great relief, no one, from passerbys to baristas, looked twice at my completely see-through outfit choice.  It helped to have a bra that provides coverage and that is comfortable for everyday wear, yet sexy enough to be worn with low-cut tees, dresses, and ahem...sheer tops.  And with a hidden built-in lift system that gives adjustable lift and cleavage with a pull, I can say I rocked this trend with confidence. Would you ever try the "Naked" trend? I would love to hear in the comments!

{Bra: Upbra, sheer shirt: ASTR: jeans: similar here, bag: Rebecca Minkoff}

{Bra: Upbra, sheer shirt: ASTR: jeans: similar here, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, booties: Rag and Bone}

This post was sponsored by Upbra.  Photography by Victoria Masai Photography.

2 Day-to-Night Outfits

With a full time job and a toddler who requires a lot of attention, one thing I find myself lacking these days is time. At the end of a long day, there is nothing that sounds less appealing to me than having to spend hours getting ready for an event -whether it's a work event or a date night. Thankfully, I have found 2 gorgeous pieces from Tobi that allow me to get ready in no time: a little make up refresher, and done. You read that right! These outfits go from day to night without a single change -no new shoes or jacket needed.

Dress: Tobi, Booties: Jeffrey Campbell {sold out} Similar, Hat: Brixton, Leather jacket: All Saints

This fall floral dress can go from day to night in a cinch. This look was made for weekend brunches that run into date nights.  The dress makes it fancy enough for dinner and the boots and/or a leather jacket makes it feel casual enough for the day time. You can even go super casual and wear it at the pool!

Top: Tobi, Jeans: SJC, Mules: Madewell {sold out} Similar

I have worn this off the shoulder top on repeat, at work and on more formal occasions.  I've worn it to blogger events, a baby shower, and to dinner at Mozza (our favorite date spot).  The stripes and poplin material feel so fresh and the OTS sleeves give it a dressier edge. You can dress it up or down with a business pant or jeans. 

Do you have outfits you love that fit both daytime business, work events, and night time romance?

Photos by Victoria Masai Photography