Easy Easter Centerpiece!

      

      You may have noticed from my last post that I am kind of a candy addict. For me, Easter is all about the sugar rush but since I have outgrown traditional easter baskets I decided to create a festive centerpiece that everyone can enjoy! I filled vintage milk glass candy dishes (found at the goodwill) with all my favorite sweets and the best part about this adorable centerpiece is that there is no cooking involved! But I have lots of other cooking projects to assemble before tomorrow, so I will quickly share an outline of how I put these Easter nests together! 

Supplies:
-Footed candy dishes or pretty glass bowls
-Serving platter or plate
-Small sauce dish or cup
-Edible easter grass 
-Egg gumballs
-Animal and critter lollipops
-rock candy
*I purchased all of my candy at Santa Cruz's local candy shop, Marini's as well as Target.

Directions:
Step 1- Curl and layer the edible easter grass into a nest in a footed candy dish.

Step 2- Place a small sauce dish into the center of the nest and fill with gumball easter eggs.

Step 3- Add festive lollipops into the nest, I used a baby chick and a lady bug. You may need to cut the sticks on the pops shorter in order for them to fit. 

Step 4- Place the "nests" onto a serving tray and cover with rock candy.

      

      I even snuck a little edible banana slug into the mix, I love that guy and I can hardly stand the thought of eating him! 

       I'm glad I went with an easy to assemble and eat appetizer because now I have more time to bake something lovely or whip up something scrumptious! Be sure to follow my culinary adventures with me on instagram! Do you have any fun plans for Easter? I'd love to hear your traditions old and new!

Yours,
Nico

The Sweet Things In Life: Easter Treats!

Fully edible Easter centerpiece (even the grass is sour apple flavored!), tutorial soon to come!

      Holidays are important memory making days for me and I know I say this each time a new one rolls around but Easter really is one of my top favorite holidays! As a kid it meant I would be humiliating myself in front of my family searching for colorful hard boiled eggs. I think there is even a home video of me as a baby literally running into a wall trying to procure a pastel pink egg from the grass! These days I am embracing old traditions in new ways. For example, instead of hunting for Easter eggs I opted to make a centerpiece featuring gum ball easter eggs instead, be sure to check in because I'll be posting that tutorial soon! I also think that a tray of deviled eggs looks adorable but I preferred making "trick your friends" deviled eggs out of meringue! This Sunday I hope to put together a couple of my favorite dishes and enjoy a light meal that is heavy on friendships and served with a side of amazing movies! But one of my top favorite reasons why I love Easter is all the delicious candy! 

Recipe here.

These "deviled eggs" are actually meringue cookies! Full post here. 

Self made aquamarine and apatite necklace with natural crystals and rock candy, fashionable and yummy!

Sipping on a sugary Spring cocktail I crafted inspired by a local Santa Cruz bar. The sweet then sour raspberry drink, like the bar is called "The Blue Lagoon."

Showcasing my love for lollies. 

Because good fashion means matching your accessories to the gum you have stashed in your handbag ; ) I find great brooches, like this little Zebra at the Goodwill and Salvation Army on the cheap!

Santa Cruz is also home of the adorable Banana Slug.... well, at least I think slugs are adorable when they take the form of candy lollipops! I got this little guy at Marinis candy shop. 

Sweet then tart easter bunnies served in an oversized tea cup along with rock candy, peppermint sticks, and chupa chumps.

Since my man friend and I live in a non smoking apartment, we like to offer candy cigarettes to our guests instead. Satisfying your sweet tooth is the tastiest addiction anyway.

A pastel rainbow of jordan almonds and sweet gummy ice cream cones!

Yours,
Nico

The Cliff Of The West:

Hat: American Apparel, Jacket- Kenneth Cole Reaction, Cashmere
Sweater- Vintage, Skirt- Missoni for Target, Socks- Gap, Bag- YSL
 (via Fillmore & 5th), Shoes- YSL (found with 293,874,928,374 sale
 stickers on the bottom during a Nordstrom sale), Watch- Michael 
Kors, Bracelets- Coach,  Silver Ring- Tiffany & Co

     As much as I love and adore fashion (and I really do) it's not about the brands and labels of your clothing but rather, where you wear them! As the weather warms up I am realizing how important it is to get outside and enjoy nature. Exercise becomes an adventure rather than a nuisance and this season I intend to leave no rock unturned. My friend Sharon and I took a jaunt over to what is locally called "West Cliff," which is actually a long stretch of street (West Cliff Drive) that runs along the coast overlooking the water and wharf. A great venue for chatting and catching up with a friend while enjoying fantastic views and people watching. A local surf monument has even made a home for himself here and takes comfort in the fact that his neighbor is a majestic light house (You can see my trip to the Seabright Lighthouse here as well). The weather can change from hour to hour in Santa Cruz so I have been trying to master the fine art of layering. I love that these thigh high socks from Gap Body are incredibly warm but if the sun decides to shine I can easily remove them and stash them in my large purse (which also happens to have a pair of practical flats inside too). Hats and hoods which are both removable make it easier to transition from rain to shine, perfect for any adventure I might get into!

      I had such a lovely time with Sharon on this particular day. We gossiped, told secrets, and she was kind enough to help me take these lovely photos. Recently I realized that most all of my friends have some sort of creative talent to offer and I feel so blessed to be surrounded with such inspiring people! Special thanks to Sharon for taking these photographs. 

      Where do you like to play catch up with your close friends? Do you have a favorite place for adventures and what do you wear for the occasion? 

Yours,

Nico

Perpetual Care:

Sunglasses- YSL, Necklaces- Self Made (shark tooth featured here), 
Leather Jacket- Vintage, Scarf- Alexander McQueen, Top- Rodarte for
 Target, Bag- Marc Jacobs, Watch- Michael Kors, Bracelets- Coach, 
Skirt-BCBG, Booties- Via Spiga

      In Friday's post I shared an image of one of my favorite purses perched on a gravesite etched with the words "perpetual care" and I blogged jokingly about how with a little perpetual care, perhaps I would take that bag to my eventual grave. But in all seriousness, no jokes, couldn't that same phrase be applied to nearly everything in our lives? People, the beautiful items we bring into our lives (and closets), and our surroundings could all use a little more tender consideration don't you think? Did you know that around 12 million tons of textile waste is generated each year.... in North America alone? I believe that if we each practiced the simple acts of quality over quantity and also shopping the second hand market that this number could easily be reduced. The idea of buying items that will last and last thru the seasons seems like it may have been forgotten while we were busy purchasing each new trend that emerged. And whatever happened to repairing things instead of replacing them? I encourage you to get to know your local tailor and cobbler, they are essential for maintaining your wardrobe over a long period of time and in the long run... saving you money! And treat them well for doing you such a kindness, infact, we could treat everyone a bit better couldn't we? I think sometimes so many of us wake up wondering what the day will bring us (myself included), instead of asking what we can bring this day! Isn't it true that the more consideration and kindness you bring to the table the more you are served in return? And as long as we are being nice to our fellow man why not our planet? I mean after all.... we haven't really gotten a good grasp on how to sustain ourselves, it's the earth that sustains us. No matter the object, place, or creature they all deserve a bit of perpetual care. No one, and no thing wants to end up in a early grave after all, right?!

      I love this vintage jacket that I found second hand at Crossroads. After trading in some clothing that had either stretched out or shrunk over time I managed to scoop up this jacket at no extra cost to myself. I love the idea of pairing a leather jacket with lots of leather accessories like my studded bag and these ornate gold and black booties that I got over four years ago. They are surprisingly comfortable and after wearing them down to the bone I finally had to take them to a cobbler (I almost threw them away!) where my beloved shoes were rescued by the geniuses at The Cobbler's Bench in San Jose. Do you have any favorite items that you either purchased second hand, had repaired, or maybe a favorite item that you splurged on that you have gotten to love and wear for years?

Yours,

Nico

A little sneak peek:

Daffodils, kind words, and a leather hand bag by Marc Jacobs.

      Just my three year old Marc Jacobs "Stardust" studded bag getting a little bit of the spotlight. Previously worn here, here, and here, I guess I could easily call this baby one of my top tier essentials. My favorite part about this little number is that you can wear the bag over your shoulder or tuck the strap in and it's an instant clutch perfect for taking things from day to evening.  I hope that with a little perpetual care, that I can also take this bag to the grave (pun intended!). Find a similar version here and a blue version that I'm obsessed with here.

Yours,

Nico

Instant Gratification:

Fragrance bar in my bedroom, the tray was thrifted for $2 and the skull bud vase is a repurposed mini crystal head vodka bottle.

     I only recently discovered the Instagram application, I feel so behind the trend on this one! I'm digging all the filters and the ability to quickly and instantaneously share beautiful moments from your life with others! With a few rare exceptions, I feel like each time I log on there is a continual stream of lovely, uplifting, and positive images. I mostly like to share photos of my three favorite things: food, fashion, and flowers! So if you are feeling like there isn't enough Satin&Salt for you, I'd love to get connected, feel free to find me at www.instagram.com/SatinAndSalt !

My humble closet also happens to be one of my favorite places in my home (don't judge!).

Fresh pretty in pink blossoms.

A watermelon radish, no filter on this image, these vegetable really are that vibrant!

The scent of daffodils and narcissus has to be one of my favorite floral combinations hands down, which is why I am utterly excited for this scented candle to be released!

Peeled and halved blood orange, such an unusual sight! 

Tulip from the farmer's market that kept me company for two entire weeks!

Mold of my teeth that I was able to take home as a make shift trophy. This past Monday I finally completed all of my needed jaw surgeries!

Wishing I would have scooped up the elderflower and gooseberry perfume from Jo Malone's limited edition "Sugar & Spice" collection.

Cinnamon coconut pancakes with ginger rum syrup.

Yours,
Nico

Live Fast Cause It Won't Last:

Live Fast by nsaich featuring a printed shirt

      Life just seems a bit sweeter when the month of March hits. Sunlight starts flooding my bedroom window as a welcome wake up call in the early mornings and I can't help but feel the need to seize the day! When warmer weather hits, you can typically find me using every spare moment that I can find to really enjoy even the most mundane of tasks. Gardening becomes a hobby instead of a chore and even doing the dishes seems pleasant while looking out a near by window at the lovely weather. There are so many little things in life to be enjoyed and taken advantage of, you just have to change your perspective. Side bar, I just got new prescription glasses and I am beginning to wonder if the lenses were made slightly rose tinted! Here are a few other things that make me see pink:

1: Super Nintendo- Growing up, my childhood friend Megan and I would spend any sunny day we could find out in the backyard by the pool. When it got too warm we'd head inside for an intense session of Super Nintendo. I like the idea of reviving that tradition but replace the pool with the Santa Cruz beach!

2: Floral Printed Gardening Tools- because a perky print makes potting and planting that much more fun.

3: Bright & Zesty Flats- Ideal for running around town and having adventures.  

4: Luscious Fragrances- I've been wanting to indulge my sense of smell lately with lovely scents and candles. Marc Jacobs "Daisy" seems to be the perfectly perky floral and if I could get my hands on a Diptyque green mint candle I'd be set. 

5: Insect Jewelry- I've been scoring inexpensive bug themed brooches at vintage fairs (styled with a floral dress here) and I've been wearing them with everything in my closet. Lately I'm digging those classic lady bug studs.

6: High Waisted Skirts- After wearing lots of layers all Winter, I'm looking forward to swingy printed skirts with lots of movement. 

7: Catch Phrase Sweatshirt- Lately I dig the idea of motivational catch phrases printed onto an everyday basic, like this gray sweatshirt. A constant reminder to stay on the right track.

Yours,

Nico

PS: You can always keep in contact with me on Twitter, Instagram, Polyvore, Pinterest, and Facebook!