Merci Beaucoup 2012

meeting Scott Schuman and Garance Doré at The Webster

 

what an eventful year it has been, I couldn't have imagined any of it the year before, which is why I appreciate life in the first place because you never know what is coming next. I am so grateful to everyone of you who has given me the opportunity to continue this journey, I've met so many wonderful, creative and energetic people who like to think outside the box and what to make a difference in their communities. I am also so thankful to be surrounded by people who care so much and even more for having so many talented friends, from Creative Directors, PR pioneers, teachers, spiritual leaders, artists, dancers, designers to bloggers. All of these people are the ones that create an exciting atmosphere for all of us and I consider myself lucky to be in that group, hopefully our efforts can inspire others to do the same, so that they can shake things up.

although this was the year I lost my amazing grandmother, I have so much to feel blessed about and her passing in a way is one of them because now I have her as an angel that will guide me through and protect me for the rest of my life. This was also the year that my love proposed to me and I couldn't be more happy...it's been a long time coming. Next year is going to be filled with so many exciting opportunities, changes and surprises, looking forward to it already.

in the meantime I want to thank 2012 for a fabulous year it's been to me and for all the people that it brought to my life, as well as those who I have had in my life for many years...thank you for your undying support. May 2013 be a great year for all of you.

with Stella McCartney (on left) and with Laure Heriard Dubreuil (on right) which by the way we were both wearing vintage YSL - she with her jumpsuit and I with my shoes.

at the Nicole Richie for Impulse preview (on left) and the Danielle Nicole Handbag preview (on right)

my first ever hosting event - FNO Macy's at Aventura, which I co-hosted with Erika Tapia Schrieber

at the Pour La Victoire blogger reception during Swim Week (on left) and at the Trina Turk BBQ (on right)

L Space show (on left) and Red Carter (on right) for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Swim

at the Chloé show at Soho Beach House for Funkshion

having fun with the Paulina's Pops cart (on left) and meeting Miss Trish Shoes designer (on right)

the very first Fashion Bloggers Do It Better event

my eating adventures at it's best - the Eating House (on left) and Yard Bird (on right)

my friend Sasha's stuffed french toast and my own dark chocolate bread pudding

my favorite DIYs

my outfit series

it's all in the shoe

my favorite collaboration with Sasha De Almagro and Shop Miami Style

shoes, shoes, shoes I do adore

my summer staples

the blue jacket I found at Goodwill (on left) and my favorite pants (on right)

my first ever outfit post (on left) and the my third outfit post (on right)

finally but not least the Fashion For A Cause campaign that I took part of - I felt honored

Christmas at home

 

my favorite time of year is December mainly because of Christmas but the atmosphere is always so much more bright and happy. Although this year and on this month I lost my grandmother, something that wasn't easy to go through as some of you may know how hard it is to loose a loved one no matter the circumstance, but I know she is at peace now and that is what keeps me going. In a way it helps to have this time of the year because it always makes me happy and Christmas eve and Christmas day was a special time for me this year. Here is a bit of Christmas decoration at home that I was able to arrange even with the little time I had between the time I spent in hospitals visiting my grandmother. Next year it will look completely different and I am looking forward to that. In some pictures you will see my Rodarte wrapping paper and Rodarte ornament for Target + Neiman Marcus Collection, as well as my DIY wrapping paper (see tutorial here).

 

Hope that your Holiday season has been a blessed one and that you were able to spend it with people you cherish because in the end that is the only thing that matters.

 

How did you decorate your home, apartment or room for that matter? do you change your decor every year? do you have a color theme? would love to hear from you.

 

To The Last Grandparent Standing |a reflection|

I get kisses for my birthday

 

The woman who showed me how to be brave, how to persevere under any circumstance and the one who gave me my vanity, she was known to me as my grandmother… the last grandparent standing. She was the most persistent, pain in the rear and courageous woman I will ever know. Her story is long and treacherous, one that I was lucky enough to hear from her and one that has helped shaped who I am as a human being. She was the first of a slew of children (15 and counting), a common phenomenon of those days, and born under extreme poverty. Somewhere around her 30s after a divorce and 4 children to feed she opened her own restaurant, how she did it still baffles me but she did, she certainly did. It became one of the most popular restaurants of her town in a country called Nicaragua. Yes she loved to cook and cooked well she did…more than well, superb I will say (I remember the days coming back from school looking forward to what she had set on the stove that day, she spoiled us so much, I will miss that so). She ran away from war, she and her children had faced death right in the eye several times and after my mother became pregnant and had me she sold all her stuff, including her beloved restaurant for nearly nothing, packed her bags and left to live with my mother. From there on, she became a permanent soul in our home, she wasn’t the easiest to live with but we got by. My mother became a single parent and that’s when my grandmother became my second mother, she took care of us while my mother had to work day and night to keep us fed. 

 

During my teenage years, like any teenager with raging hormones I didn’t really get along with her well, I felt she was possessive and controlling and no teenager likes to feel tied down. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I was lucky enough to realize that she was just looking after me in her own way, I was thankful to have her in my life. I don’t know if it was maturity or a divine revelation but I began to see her with tender eyes, and my feelings for her began to transform into something beautiful. I never thought I would ever feel that way, but I thank god every day for allowing me to have a forgiving heart and opening my eyes and see her for who she was, after all she was human (something I remember learning in one of my favorite reads, and while I am reflecting on this book, Leo had to have been one of the most exquisite people on earth). So the rest of my time with her became more about nurturing her and allowing her to nurture me back, we joked, she shared her stories with me of her grandeur days (I got to know her and realized her heart was that of gold, larger than life) and was the one person who validated my styling expertise. You see every time I came in through that door to visit she never failed to look down at my shoes and at my excessive amounts of accessories. What you don’t know about her yet is that she was vain in a good way of course, and never left the house without her matching bag and shoes. She joked with me that the next time I would come I would lend her the highest shoes I owned and give her a pair of short shorts to hit the town. Those are the things I always treasure, the small stuff, the things that made her special to me.

You see you never get over them; they leave heavy footsteps in your mind and heart. That’s the thing about grandparents, their love is unconditional…the most unconditional love you will ever have. If you have been lucky enough to have them in your life than you know exactly what that love feels, it makes you feel peaceful, like a security blanket or a warm cozy sweater. I miss her already and I will never forget the last night I spent with her…I was the last she saw before she went to heaven. Till we meet again Abuelita, for now I know you will be another angel of mine. Just know I will be coming with highest heels… as promised.

To the last grandparent standing, my grandmother Laura who now rests in peace, I love you.

|DIY| Sprinkles in Springs x Chic Streets and Eats Collaboration

 

this DIY was very easy and very fun, especially because I partnered up with the extremely talented Kara of Sprinkles in Springs, she shares the same passion about crafts as I do, but she takes it up a whole 'nother notch. Back at the end of October I believe we decided to do a collaboration post that would be related to the holidays and so we brainstormed on our own and we came up with this idea of creating our own gift wrapping paper because c'mon doesn't this look so much fun and so chic? I'd like to think so. All of the materials came from Target and were easy to find, but you can always run to your local craft store and I am sure you will have the same luck.

 

I hope that you find our tutorials easy to follow and that you get inspired to create your own personalized gift paper to make your loved ones feel even more special. To see Kara's gift wrapping paper creations go here. Please leave us your thoughts we love to hear from our readers and if you end up doing your own creations based on this tutorial take pictures and tag us on Facebook and Instagram, we would love to see them.

 

*Special thanks to the wonderful Kara for this collaboration and for the beautiful banner you created (see first pic), it was a pleasure working with you and hope to do it again soon.

 

Feeling off-white

Top: Banana Republic (old)| Bag: Danielle Nicole c/o Macy's| Rings: Lesa Michelle, M-16, Hello Parry c/o| Shorts: 3.1 Phillip Lim| Boots: Report

 

it was a windy day yes but not as cool as it should have been for boot wearing but I wanted to wear my new shorts so bad with my boots that I just took the risk regardless of the weird looks. I tell myself that fashion is about pushing the boundaries, and so that helps justify my impulses. You have to be brave and bold to be remembered, to stand out, to explore and to succeed; so don't be afraid to wear, say, dream and seek what you want. By the way, my new Danielle Nicole handbag is so beautiful and has already received a few marriage proposals, kidding but close. Some people have already proposed to me to have my new bag sleep over their home for a few days and would promise to be returned safely. Good proposition, but as the new mother I am not ready to let go yet.

 

Anyway, enough of my crazy talk, I hope you enjoy your hump day and may the days ahead lead you to believe you will have a sleepless weekend. If you live in Miami maybe you want weekends with some sleep after the whirlwind a.k.a. Art Basel. 

  

Stella McCartney x Saks event

where do I begin, well it started by receiving a very cool invitation to meet one of the designers I have admired for so long, Stella McCartney that is. As I sat there reading the email to this special invitation I thought to myself "this is starting to feel so surreal" and by "this" I mean my business in the blogosphere. I felt the excitement reach the very intricate neurons in my brain, why because although to some of you this may seem silly but truth is no one (unless you are a serious blogger yourself) knows how hard it is to be noticed for what you do. Therefore, I am thankful for opportunities like these, as well as all of you for your support because without the two I couldn't be here.

lets move on and talk about this fabulous event hosted by the lovely people over at Saks in Boca Raton. I was invited to come and meet the designer herself and have a few minutes to speak to her in private, which was a true delight. Leading up to her arrival I started to feel a bit nervous, because I didn't want to ask something irrelevent, but when I met her she was so sweet and humble that it made me feel at ease. She was here to introduce her Summer 2013 ready-to-wear collection and was giving a beautiful soiree in return. I love her asthetics, they are clean, fresh and modern...all of which I love. Her Summer 2013 collection is unbelievable, it felt very Miami or shall I say very South Florida, there was lots of floral, citrus colors, and lucite pieces that will make this upcoming summer so worth looking forward to. By the way, the third to last photo of the orange and white dress was hands down my favorite piece, so so sexy.

a special thank you to the team over at Saks in Boca Raton for your hospitality and to Stella McCartney for allowing us to chat with her and spend an evening with her.