Any Second Now

Weekend in Pictures: December 18 & 19

This weekend, I took some great pictures of my son and my niece. They are just so photogenic and I love capturing them when they’re playing together. My husband and I took Dominic to get his annual photo with Santa. We originally were going to get it at Seaport Village, which is a cute little seaside attraction here in San Diego. A friend of mine said there’s a Santa who dresses California cool (Hawaiian shirt with shorts), and we thought that would be a cute change to the regular mall Santa. But the weather was a bit too blustery, so we ended up going to our local mall afterall. They will serve as our holiday cards to send to friends and family (and I’ll post the picture here on Christmas Day). Afterwards, we headed to a birthday party, and Dominic fell asleep because it was during his nap time. When we got to the pizza parlor and told him his cousin Mei-Lin was there, he woke right up. They just adore each other so much, even if they quarrel like brother and sister.

On Sunday, my husband played in his first amateur golf tournament. Even though he had the beginnings of a cold, he braved the weather and played in the pouring rain out at Mt. Woodson Golf Club in Ramona. He came home soaking wet, so I made sure he had a hot lunch and warm clothes to change into. He didn’t do as well as he would have liked, but it’s a start. Dominic isn’t old enough to take to a golf course or tournament yet, so we don’t have any pictures from this tournament. I’m so proud of my dear hubby, and I know that he’ll participate in more to come!

Outfits:

On Mei-Lin – Pink Angel top and skinny jeans; boots were a birthday gift

On Dominic – Pumpkin Patch button down shirt; Target skull print long-sleeved shirt; Greendog jeans; Converse sneakers

All Day Sparkle

I don’t know what it is about the holidays that brings out the girly-girl in me. I’m loving all the sequins and glitter, especially during an evening out. But these are some casual items that can add a touch of sparkle during the day, and some can even take you into the night.

I’m not sure what I’m going to wear them with, but I really love the Toms Pink Glitters!

Penny-Wise Party Wear

I was doing a bit of holiday shopping and found some uber-cute party dresses and shoes on Lulus.com. These items are not just fun, but completely affordable. There are tons of styles, but these are the ones that caught my eye for any upcoming party for Christmas or New Years.

As a Duran Duran enthusiast, seeing the name of the first dress on this list made me want to buy it right away. An adorable one-shoulder velvet dress called “A New Religion”? How appropriate!

Click each picture for a link to the item

Holiday Fun: My First Cookie Exchange Party

This past Saturday, I attended my very first “Cookie Exchange Party”, hosted by my friend Tiffany. The Evite stated to bring two dozen cookies that you’ve baked from your favorite recipe, plus bring samples for tasting. If you don’t have a favorite recipe to make cookies from, bring a baked good to share. Prizes were given out for best recipe and best presentation. I guess I still didn’t understand just to what extent the guests would go to make their cookie presentations, as you can see from the pictures below. I baked the Eggnog Cookies (recipe here) and brought them in a regular “bake and carry” tin, nothing fancy (see picture above). Big mistake!

Along with the fantastic display of cookies for the exchange, we had a couple of wonderful presentations. One was from Lisa ONeill, a consultant for “The Pampered Chef“. The company is a “premier direct seller of high quality kitchen tools” and we were introduced to a few of their products. I ordered a few things, and pictured here is one of my favorite products, called a Scoop Clip. It’s a clip for your coffee bag that is also a dual measuring scoop. To me, that’s one of the most perfect “all-in-one” gadgets I’ve seen in a while. Also presented at the party were a few appetizers from the recipe books available from their catalogs, which were all so good.

The second presentation was from Lucinda Villanueva, a sales representative for Megawine. She brought a few wines from their catalog, all of which they sell by the case at a great price. I got a chance to chat with her about Port wines because I have not had one yet, and I heard they are great dessert wines. The Port I tried was one she suggested I taste with chocolate and to let her know what I thought of it.

Alone, I could taste the fruit in the Port and she also mentioned it was a bit nutty. I could also taste a bit of a bite at the end. But after I tried it with a Chocolate Espresso cookie (made by my friend Erika), the wine enhanced the chocolate, and the chocolate enhanced the wine. The Port made the chocolate more defined and in turn, the wine became more sweet. It was fantastic!

All in all, it was a great experience. Not only because it was food and wine with good friends, but because it shows the creative side of everyone at the party. The cookies were all tasty and the presentations were beautiful, which means I have to step it up a notch when I make my presentation at next year’s cookie exchange. I consider myself to be very creative, and the little pan I brought my cookies in this year was put to shame by every single tray of cookies in the room that night. Lessons learned from my very first cookie exchange. To host your own “Cookie Exchange”, you can follow Tiffany’s lead as outlined in this post, or you can also follow this great Better Homes and Gardens article here. Finally, here are a few more pictures of the delicious cookies from the evening.

(The following photos were all taken by Tiffany Kaechele)

To get in touch with Lisa ONeill from The Pampered Chef and Lucinda Villanueva of Megawine, please contact me through my “Contact” page.

Making a Clutch Purse: Putting it Together…Maybe

I know I haven’t posted about my progress with my project on making a clutch purse (see the beginnings here). I clearly meant to start it while my boys were in Las Vegas just before Thanksgiving, but I ended up doing a lot of cleaning rather than working on the purse. It’s always easier to really dig into a deep house cleaning when your toddler isn’t around to get into all of the cleaning products and tools.

The update of where I am with the project is that all the fabric is cut and just waiting to be put together. I fully intend to continue the project within the next week or so. I have some found time coming up so I will use that time to take out my semi-new sewing machine (used only a few times) and finish up this project before the end of the year. I want to ring in the new year with my new little clutch purse.

Weekend in Pictures

This weekend was pretty relaxing. We went to a couple of parties: one was at Mission Bay Park where Dominic ran, jumped and rolled around in the grass like a little puppy. I then went to my first cookie exchange (a more robust post will be put up later this week). Deon went to a poker party with my brother-in-law, which allowed my mom, my sister and I time to spend together with the kids. On Sunday, I just hung out with my little boy while Deon played golf. A big plus was that the San Diego Chargers shut out the Kansas City Chiefs 31-0.

It’s always nice to have one of those weekends where the agenda is “do whatever we want” and “we’ll get there when we get there”.

Top photo by Deon Chen, all others by Cyrillynn Chen

Sharing is Fabulous, Thanks Kristy!

Talk about fabulous, I want to thank Kristy from Vogue Gone Rogue for the kind mention of “Any Second Now” on her latest blog entry for the “Full Time Fabulous” blogger contest. The Sunglass Hut contest is in full swing, so please visit her blog, post comments and give her the support she so very much deserves!

Click on the link below for Kristy’s latest blog entry and to read more about the contest. I’m so flattered that you shared a little of your blog-sphere with me. Cheers Kristy!

Full Time Fabulous NYC Trip – part 2

Links a la Mode: The IFB Weekly Round Up for December 9 2010

(Thanks again IFB for the love! I was hoping my little Duran Duran pictorial would make it!)

All Kinds of Everything

Edited by: Florrie Clarke of Intrinsically Florrie

There’s such lovely variation amongst the links submitted this week. We are fashion bloggers- of course we like things that are pretty things from expensive handbags to quirky DIY jewelry- but the dedication to great content and a passion for good causes is what really stands out with this week’s posts.

Links à la Mode; December 9th

55th Street: A new take on Street Style through my eyes
Analogue Chic: Drama with my mama: being my mom’s personal stylist.
Any Second Now: Remembering the fashion of 1980′s Duran Duran and how it inspired a fashion pictorial that includes giant Rubik’s Cubes. Gotta love the 80′s!
ashley4emergy: Tea Party and Vintage Fashion Exhibit with Socialite Ms. Lana Turner!
Awakened Aesthetic: Six Impossible Things…by BirdQueen Designs.
Big Girls Browse: Dressember begins – a different dress every day for the whole of December
Broke & Beautiful: Jeffrey Campbell goes pink…but for what cause?
de la pen: Balenciaga: The Spanish Master by Hamish Bowles
For Those About to Shop: Callous comments can be life-threatening
Haute World: Not your average designer collaboration: Fashion giants show their charitable side by creating dolls for UNICEF
Independent Fashion Bloggers: Tips for Holiday Gift Guides & Giveaways
Intrinsically Florrie: On DIY customising my own unique rings
lowefactor: Ever notice why pre-fall collections get lost in the holiday shopping press shuffle?
Lust Love Lose: An easy guide to applying red lipstick that will last all day.
Mrs Bossa: Blogs with Soul: Mrs Bossa raises a glass to the talent of the blogging community
Oranges and Apples: Interview and GIVEAWAY with photographer and jewelry designer Marie Bee of the Blue Balloon
Pocket Rocket Fashion: Debating with fashion photographer Diana Thompson the problems of plus fashion brands using models smaller than their range to promote them.
Searching for Style: Fashion 101: Why Luxury is Expensive. The making of an Hermès bag.
STREET STYLE: PICS BY POLKA DOT: One woman’s journey to get credit for a piece Spanish Elle did using her photographs without her knowledge, or consent. A cautionary tale!
The Coveted: Winter Vacation Tory Burch Resort 2011
two for the clothes: Our second “Freaky Friday” post, in which her outfit for him turns out badly.
The Fashion Pawn: What a business card can do for you

SPONSOR:

Shopbop Jeans by: DL1961, COH, Siwy, Juicy, MiH, 7′s, Joe’s, Hudson, Charley 5, Cheap Monday, & AG Jeans

Old Sweater, New Tricks

I’m gathering ideas from all over on how to re-vamp my wardrobe, which has caused me to revisit some pieces that I’ve had in my closet for a while. I got this tunic top at Topshop in London on Oxford Street back in 2008, and it’s actually a maternity top. I didn’t gain too much weight when I was pregnant, so I got something that was close to my normal size, which means that I can still wear it as a regular part of my wardrobe. What’s great about the top is that it ties in the back so that I can cinch it to make it more slimming.

I bought this sweater over three years ago and instantly fell in love with the sleeves. I’ve only worn it a handful of times, so it’s fun to try to find new color palettes to wear it with. I kept this outfit very neutral right down to the boots, so I felt I needed to anchor it with a dark denim legging.

Outfit: Burberry sunglasses; Unknown brand sweater; Topshop maternity tunic; American Rag black denim leggings; Urban Oufitters scarf; Steve Madden Luxe boots (seen here)

Photos by Deon Chen

Velveteen Rabbit

I bought this Erin Fetherston for Target shirt awhile ago, but never found an opportunity to wear it. Now that I’ve worn several animal-themed pieces of clothing (a bird print dress and leopard jacket come to mind), I felt that I could finally bring out my fun rabbit print shirt. It’s also been awhile since I’ve worn this jacket. It’s not really velvet, but it’s a fine enough corduroy that it feels like it.

I wore the jacket and shirt with one of my favorite styles of pants: the wide-leg. I have several incarnations of the wide-legged pant, and these Guess jeans are one of the widest I own. I like these types of jeans rather than the flare because they are full all the way through the leg instead of tight in the thighs up until the wide part extends from just below the knee. I like the way the jeans were a little distressed and faded, so I couldn’t bring myself to have them tailored. So now I just wear them with my super-high platforms, like these Jeffrey Campbell suede clogs. But even these jeans were almost too long. You can see my clogs barely peeking out from beneath them.