Jetsetter

As you read this, I am almost home from my weekend in Vegas!

On my last trip to Vegas, I fell for these two spaces, with hanging lights and floating glass balls...

Top image - the John Varvatos shop. Bottom image - Julian Serrano at the Aria.


When I go to Vegas I usually shop, eat and sun. I'm not a huge gambler. But when I found the Sex & the City slot machine, I was kinda hooked.

As you can see, I was rolling in money :)

Jetsetter

As you read this, I am almost home from my weekend in Vegas!

On my last trip to Vegas, I fell for these two spaces, with hanging lights and floating glass balls...

Top image - the John Varvatos shop. Bottom image - Julian Serrano at the Aria.


When I go to Vegas I usually shop, eat and sun. I'm not a huge gambler. But when I found the Sex & the City slot machine, I was kinda hooked.

As you can see, I was rolling in money :)

Where I Was

I spent my Memorial Day weekend at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs - relaxing, decompressing, and watching hilarity ensue. Here are some pics I took:

While my husband and I had a fabulous time because it's always fun when we are together, the scene was a bit more MTV-Spring-Break then grown-up-weekend-getaway. The people watching was amazing {there WAS a celeb sighting - celeb blogger Perez Hilton} and the fashion choices were surprising {are thong bikini bottoms in style? because they were all over the place this weekend!}

We spent most of the weekend lounging by the pool, reading away on our Kindles, and did a bit of vintage furniture shopping but came home empty handed.

How did you spend Memorial Day weekend?

Where I Was

I spent my Memorial Day weekend at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs - relaxing, decompressing, and watching hilarity ensue. Here are some pics I took:

While my husband and I had a fabulous time because it's always fun when we are together, the scene was a bit more MTV-Spring-Break then grown-up-weekend-getaway. The people watching was amazing {there WAS a celeb sighting - celeb blogger Perez Hilton} and the fashion choices were surprising {are thong bikini bottoms in style? because they were all over the place this weekend!}

We spent most of the weekend lounging by the pool, reading away on our Kindles, and did a bit of vintage furniture shopping but came home empty handed.

How did you spend Memorial Day weekend?

Hay Soup

Every so often, a recipe really speaks to my inner Ritualist, my inner Pagan. Whether it's Cat Cora's Milk and Honey Soup, idea for Imbolc, or something more like Martha Stewart's gorgeous and timeless Yule Log cake, decorated with those genius meringue mushrooms, there's always a recipe out there waiting for me to discover, obsess, and subsequently design a party for.

Today while watching Richard Bangs' Adventures with a Purpose on the PBS sister station Create, I discovered something called "Hay Soup". At the Gasthof Rössli in Escholzmatt, Switzerland, Chef Stefan Weisner creates an organic version of this recipe that sounds mindblowing:

RB: What’s your most famous dish?....
SW: The hay soup.
RB: It’s the hay soup? Well, let’s go make some hay. Let’s go have some soup.
[VO:] He gathers everything himself, and leaves no stone unturned as he roots around the biosphere. His ingredients: ants, coal, stones, snow, hay, silver, gold, moss, ferns, peat, alpine roses, tree bark and...whiskey. His menu seems a demonic offering that lays somewhere between between absurdity and transcendence. The soup even has a hay nest for garnish.
RB: What an explosion of flavor…There are 49 different herbs that are in this hay soup and Stefan picks them personally.


Now I'm on a mission to create this soup, myself. 49 herbs? I can think of maybe 15 offhand! Not to mention it's traditionally served in a small bowl literally nestled in a nest of fresh, green hay. I can't afford to fly to Switzerland right now, much as I would love to.

Hay Soup

Every so often, a recipe really speaks to my inner Ritualist, my inner Pagan. Whether it's Cat Cora's Milk and Honey Soup, idea for Imbolc, or something more like Martha Stewart's gorgeous and timeless Yule Log cake, decorated with those genius meringue mushrooms, there's always a recipe out there waiting for me to discover, obsess, and subsequently design a party for.

Today while watching Richard Bangs' Adventures with a Purpose on the PBS sister station Create, I discovered something called "Hay Soup". At the Gasthof Rössli in Escholzmatt, Switzerland, Chef Stefan Weisner creates an organic version of this recipe that sounds mindblowing:

RB: What’s your most famous dish?....
SW: The hay soup.
RB: It’s the hay soup? Well, let’s go make some hay. Let’s go have some soup.
[VO:] He gathers everything himself, and leaves no stone unturned as he roots around the biosphere. His ingredients: ants, coal, stones, snow, hay, silver, gold, moss, ferns, peat, alpine roses, tree bark and...whiskey. His menu seems a demonic offering that lays somewhere between between absurdity and transcendence. The soup even has a hay nest for garnish.
RB: What an explosion of flavor…There are 49 different herbs that are in this hay soup and Stefan picks them personally.


Now I'm on a mission to create this soup, myself. 49 herbs? I can think of maybe 15 offhand! Not to mention it's traditionally served in a small bowl literally nestled in a nest of fresh, green hay. I can't afford to fly to Switzerland right now, much as I would love to.

Hey Ace - I'm A Comin'!

I love me a little getaway. Which is why I cannot WAIT for an upcoming trip with my man to the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs...

The Ace Hotel puts me in a bohemian chic state-of-mind, so all I want to do until we go is...

Caftan by Temperley London from Neiman Marcus.

Drink created by the genius ladies at Fashionably Bombed for an amazing lady's trip that I was lucky to attend - find the recipe here!

Rug from Anthropologie.

All hotel pictures from the Ace Hotel website.

Hey Ace - I'm A Comin'!

I love me a little getaway. Which is why I cannot WAIT for an upcoming trip with my man to the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs...

The Ace Hotel puts me in a bohemian chic state-of-mind, so all I want to do until we go is...

Caftan by Temperley London from Neiman Marcus.

Drink created by the genius ladies at Fashionably Bombed for an amazing lady's trip that I was lucky to attend - find the recipe here!

Rug from Anthropologie.

All hotel pictures from the Ace Hotel website.

Marina Bay Village in Malaysia

Looking for a great holiday rental? Or just want to dream about a nice long getaway...

A luxury fully staffed private villa estate on Pangkor Laut Island with superb facilities and spa.

Marina Bay is a group of nine villas on a tiny 120-hectar island situated along a secluded bay and set away from the main resort of Pangkor Laut. The bay has white-gold sand and is surrounded by rainforest. Each estate is individually designed in typical Malay style. Bedrooms and living areas are housed in individual pavilions and are connected by pathways and courtyards. The villas are surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, each with their own private infinity pool. The Estates also come with butler, maid and a private chef.

If you need to escape this unadulterated luxury for a while, you can hire a yacht or motorboat for a day to explore nine uninhabited islands nearby for picnics, or go trekking in the jungle. The best season to go is December through to February (summer months can be wet).

Guide price £3475 per person for 7 nights based on 4 people sharing a 2 Bed Estate on a full board basis including Malaysia Airlines international flights and transfers from England. Check out Scott Dunn for more amazing holidays!

Marina Bay Village in Malaysia

Looking for a great holiday rental? Or just want to dream about a nice long getaway...

A luxury fully staffed private villa estate on Pangkor Laut Island with superb facilities and spa.

Marina Bay is a group of nine villas on a tiny 120-hectar island situated along a secluded bay and set away from the main resort of Pangkor Laut. The bay has white-gold sand and is surrounded by rainforest. Each estate is individually designed in typical Malay style. Bedrooms and living areas are housed in individual pavilions and are connected by pathways and courtyards. The villas are surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, each with their own private infinity pool. The Estates also come with butler, maid and a private chef.

If you need to escape this unadulterated luxury for a while, you can hire a yacht or motorboat for a day to explore nine uninhabited islands nearby for picnics, or go trekking in the jungle. The best season to go is December through to February (summer months can be wet).

Guide price £3475 per person for 7 nights based on 4 people sharing a 2 Bed Estate on a full board basis including Malaysia Airlines international flights and transfers from England. Check out Scott Dunn for more amazing holidays!