Halloween 2012: DIY Little Red Riding Hood Costume

10.31.2012

Last week I was unsure if we were going to do anything to celebrate Halloween (aka "dress up"). It was totally last minute but we ended up deciding to go out Saturday night and the bf thought of an awesome couple costume: Little Red Riding Hood & The Werewolf. So Friday night, I got to work and started designing my Halloween costume.

Me & my wolfie. He was extremely detailed with his costume: prosthetic nose/ear, face paint, hair wig, diy beard...isn't he so talented?!?
With my little sisteroos: peacock (congrats to Kaf for winning Best Sexiest Costume!!), mermaid, & little red

It was such a fun night with great friends! Loved that they all had such cool costumes: zombie, Psy, nerd, peacock, mermaid, Duff man (from The Simpsons), little red riding hood, werewolf, & The Hulk. 

I've learned that sometimes the best plans are the ones not planned. Yay to spontaneity! 

My better thirds. ;) Love my little sisteroos <3>
Outfit Details: DIY self-designed Halloween "Little Red Riding Hood" costume

Happy Halloween Everyone! This is a picture of a pumpkin I carved at work. Not too shabby for my first time carving a pumpkin huh? Credits to my team partner Chava for helping me. :) Okay, have lots of fun tonight and be safe!


Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-

Instagram/Twitter Me: @kimberly_luu
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How To Make: Pumpkin Spice Mini Cupcakes

10.30.2012

Every now and then during the holidays I feel like bringing out my crafty "domestic" side. Then, somehow, I get too busy and things fall through the crack. Well this Halloween I was more than determined to make something, no matter what. After researching online, I found a Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe that I converted into mini cupcakes. See below for the quick, easy directions to make this super deliciously moist dessert. Hey, if I can make it, so can you!

1. GATHER your ingredients: 1 package spice cake mix, 1 package (3.4oz.) JELL-O vanilla flavor instant pudding mix, 1 cup mashed cooked fresh pumpkin (I used canned fresh pumpkin), 1/2 cup oil (I used Kirkland olive oil), 1/2 cup water, 3 eggs, cream cheese frosting (I used the whipped version because I wanted it to be light), chopped pecans (& walnuts if desired)

2. HEAT oven to 350 degrees while you prep (for about 30 minutes).

3. ADD these ingredients into a large bowl: spice cake mix (tip: I sifted it first so there wouldn't be any clumps), JELL-O vanilla pudding mix (as is in powdery form-don't make the actual pudding), cooked fresh pumpkin (tip: if you want to use it fresh then cut pumpkin into slices, wrap in plastic wrap, & put in microwave to warm up a bit) OR canned fresh pumpkin (what I used because it was just easier for me and I just eyeballed what a cup would be), oil, water, & eggs

4. MIX them until well blended (tip: use a hand mixer if you have one, it's so much easier & saves you lots of time)

5. POUR blended mixture into cupcake wrapper OR pan (if you want to make a cake instead)

6. BAKE for 12-15 minutes for mini cupcakes OR 32-35 minutes for cake (tip: do the toothpick test, if you insert the toothpick in the middle & it comes out clean then it's done baking) and let cool

7. TOAST pecans for 8-10 minutes while the cupcakes/cake is baking (tip: try to time it so they'll be done around the same time)

8. SPREAD cream cheese frosting (tip: get a sandwich bag, scoop some frosting in it to one of the bottom corners, cut a small diagonal line, & voila! You've got yourself a homemade frosting decorator tool at your fingertips!) on top as desired (tip: make sure the cupcake/cake has cooled by this time otherwise your frosting will just melt from the heat)

9. SPRINKLE the toasted pecans (& walnuts) on top as desired.

10. DISPLAY them on a nice rack and it's ready to serve!

I was using a 12 piece mini cupcake baking tray and with this mixture I almost made 100 mini cupcakes. Yup, I said almost 100! Probably around 80-90 which was more than plenty to share (little sisteroo brought some to work and so did I). Since I was baking the mini cupcakes for roughly 12-15 minutes each time, it took about 2 hours (give or take) to finish everything. I only had 1 baking tray so I highly advise in investing in at least 2 because those mini cupcakes are so tiny, it seemed like forever until I finally finished using all the mixture.

Another tip: this Pumpkin Spice recipe is also great for Thanksgiving coming up. Feel free to try it out and let me know how it goes!

Bon appetit!~!


Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-

Instagram/Twitter Me: @kimberly_luu
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Chambray Denim + Lace

10.24.2012








Outfit Details: Foreign Exchange lace dress, chambray denim jacket c/o Oasap, tan ankle booties, Papers & Peonies bracelets, Ever Eden by Michelle Phan gold chain ring c/o Glam House

If I could, I'd wear dresses every single day - no lie. I'm still trying to enjoy as many sunny SoCal days we have left before it's get too cold. On this day I really wanted to wear my Foreign Exchange white lace dress but it was backless and a little too chilly to wear it alone. Luckily, I received this chambray denim jacket from Oasap just in time to help me transition some of my summer looks for fall (because let's face it, it's still semi-summer weather here in OC). It's a simple lightweight jacket that can easily be added to any outfit for an extra oomph of warmth, especially during these still-hot-but-a-little-cold days lately.

Of course no outfit is complete with a little bit of gold bling. These wish bracelets from Papers & Peonies are so inspirational ("Never Say Never" & "Dreams Do Come True" are inscribed on them) and I feel like every time I wear them, my day just starts of right. I was also pretty excited to wear my current new favorite ring: the Ever Eden by Michelle Phan knight chain ring (thanks Glam House!). It's so artistically designed (love the jagged edges) and adjustable so it fit perfectly. Definitely one of my favorite jewelry pieces!

Can't believe we're already halfway through the week. Happy Wednesday Everyone! Hope you're all having a great day. :)


Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-

Instagram/Twitter Me: @kimberly_luu
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OASAP: Spread Your Wings

10.10.2012






Outfit Details: sheer blouse / Forever 21 shorts / Pelle Moda heels (from DSW) / Forever 21 necklaces / Papers & Peonies stacked rings & bracelets / wing ring c/o Oasap

When the OC temps were in the ridiculously high 80s, I wanted to wear as minimal clothing as possible. Hence, this outfit consisting of a sheer blouse, F21 shorts, and strappy Pelle Moda heels. If I could, I think I would've wore a bathing suit all day lol so this was the next best thing.

Of course, I couldn't leave the house without accessorizing! I jazzed up my solid outfit by wearing my owl necklace (currently attracted to these critters - not the scary looking ones but the the cute, artsy ones) and Oasap winged ring. I really like how, at first, the ring looked like a double fingered ring. Then up close I realized that it actually balanced between my fingers. Yup, I said balanced. Pretty cool huh? Definitely one of my unique jewelry pieces!

Hope you're all having a great day. It's another busy busy one for me. I'm heading out to LA shortly for some fashion shows. Follow me on Instagram (@kimberly_luu) for sneak peeks!

  Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-  

Instagram/Twitter Me: @kimberly_luu
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My Instagram Life

10.09.2012










 
Here's a glimpse of what's been going on in my life outside of blogging world:
1. Obsessive Papers & Peonies arm party for my SD road trip with the bf
3. TK love - I don't really cook (the bf's a chef) but when I prep food, I always put this initial heart whenever we eat spicy food
4. Amazing speaker panel at the Beauty Con event at Google LA Headquarters (pics soon)
5. Just Do It - Nike kicks I almost got for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk...until I saw they had pleats underneath. Bummer (I was still very tempted to get it though)
7. Late night Japanese bbq dinner with the bf at Tsuruhashi
8. Surprised my little sisteroo's & bf with Tastea's "Watermelon Heaven"
9. A sneak peek of the pretty lingerie at Faire Frou Frou's Love Claudette event (pics to come)
10. What I wore to my little sisteroo Kaf's work event with the City of Fullerton Chamber
 
Sorry for my week-long absence in blogging. It seriously feels like forever since my last post but it was one crazy, hectic week of school for me. Big projects and homework galore! But hey - that's the life of a grad student right?

In the mean time, do you have Instagram? If so, follow me on my mini-life updates in between blogging @kimberly_luu! If not, go get one it's fun! ;)


Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-
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Sweater Weather

10.02.2012








Outfit Details: Eight Eight Eight cardy / gifted top from Jud / sheer cutout leggings / Wanted boots (from DSW), spiked headband worn as necklace / Papers & Peonies rings & bracelets / Forever 21 bag 

Usually I'm a big fan of spring/summer because, let's face it, I love wearing dresses BUT lately I've noticed some really cute sweaters that's making me start to like this fall season a little more. Especially this Eight Eight Eight cardy here. I really like the neutral shade and how insanely cozy it was (which was perfect for a mini road trip with the bf to San Diego). Plus, it wasn't too thick because our cold weather here in SoCal isn't that cold (the temps are in the 80s/90s today! Crazy, I know). This morning I happened to wake up in a casual grunge mood so I threw on a no-fuss-outfit to go with my I-don't-want-to-wear-makeup look: comfy cardy, loose tunic, sheer cutout leggings, moto boots, and my spiked headband that I wore as a necklace.

Hopefully the weather gets a little cooler because I've already started my fall sweater collection and I'd like to wear some already! What about you? Are there any fall trends you're excited about this season?


Sending love,
kimberly
-xoxo-
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