Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday with family and friends!  This year was M and I 2nd year hosting Thanksgiving at our home.  I really hope we can make it a tradition and host every year with my family, and hopefully with M's family too! This year seemed very simple, I really just wanted to cook the traditional dishes.   When it came to decorating the table, I had spent a few dollars on getting decor at the Target dollar section, and picked up flowers from The Home Depot (price comparable to Trader Joe's).  Everything else like the flower vases, mini cake stands, and ceramic pumpkins i've already had on hand.  I spent about $15 altogether with Tablescape items and it came out pretty well!

When cooking the dishes M and I divided right down the middle.  M was in charge of the Turkey, Mac & Cheese, and Gravy.  I took on cooking the Stuffing, Corn, and Fried Onion with Green Beans.  Instead of sticking to the plain recipes, I added bacon, turkey broth, and veggies to the stuffing.  With the Green beans, i've added mushrooms and made a roux sauce to spread over prior to putting the fried onions on top to brown in the oven :)  For dessert I just bought costco cinnamon rolls, i've never bought them before but they always made my mouth water when passing by them, OH BOY it did not disappoint!  I served the rolls with coffee and everyone loved them!  12 rolls for $8, it was better than cinnabon!

After my family left, I told M I was incredibly thankful for him and for our Thanksgiving lunch.  Something about being older and being able to host it for my brothers and Mom is really rewarding. I don't plan to do much shopping this weekend, but I do plan on continuing the Thanksgiving festivities with more family and friends.  Cheers!

See our Thanksgiving at home last year here.

My anniversary with M is originally on November 9th.  Although the beginning of the month was crazy as he had to prep for work and go out of town for a week, I was lucky enough to tag along for the ride :). While we were out of town, we celebrated the week of our anniversary at one of our favorite steakhouse Bavette's. After a few glasses of Walker and Champagne we came to realize that the our dinner was taken care with the help of my sweet friend Jay.  I mentioned to M, if we can celebrate a little more later this month and he agreed.

Happy Halloween pretty swans!  Surprisingly I have nothing lined up for tonight.  I'm very tempted to watched the CAOS Hallow's Eve episode again because it gives me all the spooky feels. I was really good about decorating for Fall/Halloween this year, but failed at making cards in time to mail out :(! I even decorated a little Russian doll I got as a gift from my cousin last year during his world travels, and added all the pumpkin vibes to my white console in the living room.

Many people ask how come my home with M isn't all Disney'd out.  I'm a major Disney gal, but just because I love the parks and merch, doesn't mean I need every wall or tablescape with Mickey shaped ears on them LOL.  I keep my home to the style i've always had with M, and keep it very non-disney.  The only thing we have up year round is a Vintage Alice In Wonderland movie poster framed next to a vintage Japanese James Bond movie poster and that's about it throughout our home.


ALLLLTHOUGHHH... when it comes to Halloween I like to put Mickey in as he fits in just right during the festive spooky season!  Something about a Ghostly Mickey is so cute and subtle, and even a pumpkin shaped Mickey this season makes it even more autumn like!  Instead of just filling the whole table I was inspired by  the whole Disney tiered theme and knew I had to do it as well, it's definitely space saver, and I have many tiered dishes from my tea collection.

The mini Mickey pumpkin is actually from a reusable straw that I purchased this year at the park for $6.99 and the Ghostly Mickey garland were custom made by The Paper Mouse!  I'll be keeping the pumpkins up until Thanksgiving but I'm not going to lie, Christmas decor will be coming out in the next few days >.<.  Have a ghoulish evening!!

Check out previous years of Halloween Decor from my home!
click here for 2016
click here for 2017

We're heading towards the end of the year where everything is just flying by!  I swear to you I had posts lined up, and I just never got to posting.  Now that we're in entirely in Halloween mode, I wanted to share the afternoon tea time that I experienced last year at Disney.  Not many people know, but Afternoon Tea does exist at Disney, although it's not exactly inside Disneyland or California Adventure.

Disney's Afternoon Tea takes place at the Disneyland Hotel in The Steakhouse 55 restaurant.  The time is specific as they only serve Afternoon Tea Friday to Sunday between 12pm-3pm.  Think of the vibe as an outdated Carthay Circle, with the major touches of Old Hollywood.  Don't get me wrong, everything is clean and nice, but the decor could use some updating (just like the hotel itself).  One thing I do enjoy is that the Afternoon Tea theme changes a few times a year.  I've gone over 4 times and I'm so glad I got to enjoy last year's Halloween theme which The Best Villains for their Trick Or Tea!



First course is a garden salad, then follows the second course- the Tea sandwiches, these sandwiches were one of my favorites out of all the themes I've experienced.  From the middle of the Tea Sandwiches is a bit of Scar sprinkled on top of Pride Rock, Avocado tea sandwich to your right represents Maleficent, and right next to it is a squid ink devils egg resembling Ursula!  Each sandwich had so much flavor and honestly it was a little healthy too! ;)

From the villain filled savory eats, came all the delicious spooky sweets from the chocolate chip and pumpkin scones with your traditional lemon curd and cream all on one tier.  In the second tier came with the Queen Of Hearts and Oogie Boogie chocolate covered strawberries, the poisoned apple tart, Cruella cupcake, and stitched up voodoo gingerbread cookie.  A glass of bubbly champagne definitely helped!

It was very fitting that I had to bring my favorite Minnie Mouse Bow: The Queen Of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland!

This year's Halloween Time tea theme is the Haunted Mansion which is so fitting since it's their 50th Anniversary!  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to book reservations as they were filling up so quickly (they even added Thursdays!).  I'm excited to see what theme they'll be doing for the Holidays, until then Trick or Tea lovelies!!!

While we're busy "adulting" and being responsible twenty and thirty somethings.. We forget about the things that make us happy.  Something as simple as crafting cards and wrappings gifts can instantly make my day and mood 100% better.  I constantly have to remind myself it's the little things that keep me grounded (and sane). This past weekend I had the pleasure of having afternoon tea at the Tea Rose Garden with my good friend S.  Since I had missed celebrating her birthday last month, I made sure to put together something sweet for her to open.

Can we all agree that this week was odd, or that it went by fast?

All of a sudden labor day is over and i'm seeing PSL ad's everywhere as well as sweater weather on my instagram feed, even though it's 103 outside?  Let's slow down on the heavy knits LA, as it usually cools down after Halloween.  When it comes to Halloween one thing is for certain, Halloween is in full swing at Disneyland now starting today!  This month and next month i'll be sharing the afternoon Halloween Tea from last year, and the afternoon tea this year that i'll be attending with the theme of the 50th Anniversary of Haunted Mansion.

Speaking of the Haunted Mansion, it truly is one of my favorite attractions. The main reason is the exterior the huge upstairs porch with the old white wicker furniture, the green articulately iron that wraps with the pillars and blends in the the perfectly laid palms and plants that pair so perfectly with it.  The wallpaper in the entryway that takes you back to the early 1900's, etc.. I can endlessly keep going!  But as we know for Halloween, Disney transforms the mansion into a Nightmare Before Christmas theme which makes me love the exterior even more!-

Can we talk about the wreaths that are hung in every opening on the upstairs?  To the perfectly bended black and white striped ribbon that has a Jack Skeleton eske to it?  I can keep going, but it's detail is so impeccable, which makes me really appreciate and favor this ride and puts me in a spooky mischievous mood!

I also enjoy this time of year for so many reasons, this is truly the start of the summer sun fading and cool brisk weather rolling in, daylight savings ending, the decorated themes and the upcoming Holidays which makes time so much more festive.  I'm already planning out on how to decorate Halloween cards, and will start decorating the house. Now the most important questions are...

1. Which food am I going to try in the Disney Parks Halloween Guide?
2. What Halloween candy will be I be putting in my vintage dishes, goodie bags, and to give out?!

Happy Haunts darlings!

Also, check out the Halloween Time decorations they do on Main Street USA here. XO

happy long weekend everyone!

This weekend was spent mostly with M's family since his father is visiting from Texas, along with brunch and shopping with a close friend!  The LA county fair started this week, but I am in no rush to go since it's going on for a month, and it's been SWELTERING hot lately.  While the County Fair has many rides, games, and fried food there's also another traditional aspect that his always showcased but forgotten... Competitions!

Like in any fair that we see in the movies, or T.V. shows, there is actually different competitions and contests such as: best american pie, chilli cook off, best BBQ recipe, etc..  A few years ago at the Orange County Fair, I stumbled upon one of their hangar's on the fairground with amazing AC, and came across the showcase of their tablescaping competition.  Tablescaping you ask? Basically, it's a competition for the best table setting.. and OH BOY THIS WAS SOOOO UP MY ALLEY!

I loved the section the table settings were showcased it was very DIY and so themed with the pastel colored antiqued chairs and big cut out utensils.  I spent a good amount of time in that area, since there was such little detail to everything.  Especially the handmade lace vintage tablecloths, and tea cup sets in each table as well as the placecards, to the little figures by the dinner plates or tea cup.  Each table had a different theme and traditionally speaking there was a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.

Right next to it was the best jam competition, as well as best chocolate chip cookie.  Now, the question is.. how do I become a judge or taste tester :P

Did you go to the fair this weekend?  If so, I hope you stayed cool!! XO

Finally, i'm delivering when I say i'm going to share something and actually share the same week! :).  I was looking through my archives (which i'll share below) and the last time I shared my unbirthday tea was 2016, and i've been hosting tea every year!  There's so much I need to post here but baby steps, today i'll be posting this year's Merry Unbirthday Tea..

Since I did it big on my golden birthday (2016) and last year for my 30th (2018), this year was going to be more lowkey.  I was having a difficult time on which tea room to host.  I was torn between two different tea rooms, one i've been to plenty times but never had a party there, second choice was a new tea room that was more for the "GRAM", rather than the actual feel and set up for a REAL afternoon tea.  After going back and forth I decided to stick with the classic and had it at Tea Rose Garden.

I've been to Tea Rose Garden countless of times but I never had hosted my birthday there before.  I thought this year would be perfect since work at the time was crazy and I knew without a doubt this tearoom would be solid and would definitely deliver.  I had in mind that the tabletop was plain white porcelain tea pots along with different floral tea cups, and dessert plates.  I was gravitating toward the color burnt orange as I knew this color would compliment well with different pastel colors.  Keeping the placecards classic in black ink tied in perfectly. While adding in hints of the burnt orange with fabric ribbon.

As for the cake, I was really attracted towards lady fingers, as this is a cake you don't see made often.  My cousin who has made my cake for the past 7 years created a tiny lady finger cake with fresh fruit & buttercream frosting.  It was exactly what I pictured, and it fed over 6 people.  What's not pictured is the Almond Biscotti dipped in white chocolate that my friends took home, along with a box of tea drops.  All in all, it was a great time and I already can't wait for next year!

Previous Merry Unbirthday Tea:
2015 Merry Unbirthday Tea at The T Room
2016 Golden Birthday Tea Part 1
2016 Golden Birthday Tea Part 2
(still need to post my Unbirthday Tea from 2016, 2017, 2018)

Hope you're having a great weekend!  Everyone in LA can agree that the heatwave is here and officially staying, which makes me daydream of cooler days.  I've often find myself looking at disney photos wearing heavy jackets, and scarves in Winter as well as tea room photos from Spring when hot tea was appropriate to drink anytime of the day!  Today, I wanted to share the simple yet chic place cards aluxecontraband did for this years unbirthday tea..

When Alyce had dropped off the placecards, she asked if I had wanted her to add florals to them and we both agreed it would elevate the place card and go well with the teacups and teapots. She brought out her ink and freehanded the florals on the top left and bottom right corners.  They came out so well!

I'm thankful and it really is a blessing to have talented friends.  It's even better when you work with friends and they know exactly what you want and deliver!  I'm a perfectionist so when planning my unbirthday tea every year (been doing for 10 years now) I want everything to flow together from the cake, to the little giveaways, to the place cards.  Everything that is put on the table the day of is carefully put together prior to make sure it all matches.  You'll see how it all looks put together as i'll be sharing the photos from my actual Merry Unbirthday Tea this year this week!

See links below for other preparations & tea party goodies:
Tea party invitations DIY for bridal shower.
Tea party invitations for my golden birthday.
Unbirthday tea giveaways 2015.
Craft bag DIY for tea.

With a little more time to breathe, take care of myself, and a break from the hustle I want to focus on the things that truly bring joy to my life- paper goods, this blog, my boyfriend, and self care is definitely top priority for the rest of this summer :) I also have 3 sheets of forever postage stamps that need to get used up!

Whenever I'm sending a new pen pal a letter I love putting together a curated collection of paper goods I have on hand.  The one I'll be sharing today was sent to 4-5 pen pals a while ago and since then I still write more to some of them, as they wrote back to me!  Hopefully I can get back to regularly writing/sending out letters.


I love sending out snail out with a theme and matching pallet.  Also adding a little bundle of paper goods and stickers it's such a great little surprise to open something in the mail and not knowing what goodies to expect.

• "Just a little Note" stationery card set is from Shutterfly for free (paid for shipping)
• Craft Owl Cut out,  & "HEY!" post card are from the target dollar section.
• Beautiful Day & jotty note is also from target.
• Painted floral paper good is from a 2018 calendar that I recycled into this snail mail :)
• Fox & Patterned washi tape is a set I got from Hobby Lobby on sale.

The only thing I'm missing is a scale to see how much postage stamps I need to put on, since the envelope does get a little thick at times!  What are some things you like doing this summer to unwind?

Happy May pretty swans!

Okay, seriously i'm turning 31 in just a few days.  How did this happen?  All I remember is I was prepping everything last year for my 30th birthday with M and also planning a really special Merry Unbirthday Tea and now it's been a year?!

Last year was really one of the best, one for the books.  As repeated numerous times M and I have the same birthday but we're a few years apart (he's older).  Last year I knew I had to make it one of the best as I was reaching a milestone in womanhood, and I just want M to have great birthdays especially with us being together.  Last January 2018, I was already planning and looking at different campgrounds (believe it or not!), then I came across treehouses..  A treehouse.. who stays in a tree house? UMMM ME! It's a great opening for me to get used to the outdoors and it'll help me ease with being with nature (as i'm not a big fan, but now am open to it!).

After doing a brief search on hipcamp (airbnb for nature), I came across this one, and the rest was history...

This treehouse is located in Northern California deep within the redwoods and mountains in an area called Mossy Bench/Beach, the closest main city is Santa Cruz but small towns are surroundings.  The tree house is located in Flipjack Ranch where a lovely couple have a bed & breakfast, farm, distillery,  and have built a treehouse for guests to stay.


Inside the treehouse has running electricity, different areas (bedroom with a king bed/living room),  WiFi, an outdoor shower along with a compost toilet, and my favorite- a wrap around deck.  One of the workers on the farm called this treehouse the "Cosmopolitan (las vegas) rooms of treehouses" and I couldn't agree more.  It was so cozy, roomy, and beyond comfortable.

I had so many moments where M would catch me happy sighing and smiling because the experience was perfect and beyond our expectations.  Shown in the last photo is the coffee and tea that was severed every morning for us which was separated from the home booked breakfast we received walking down to the farm every morning, i'll be sharing the food in a second part post ;)

Since staying here, it's opened me up more to being adventurous with M, we've hiked a few times last year and even stayed at a cabin  in the mountains on our anniversary late last year.  I can confidently say 2018 was more about trying new things and hopefully this year we can continue to do more.

Just in case here are the links:
Treehouse: https://www.hipcamp.com/california/mossy-bench/romantic-treehouse
Flip Jack Ranch:http://www.flipjackranch.com/

Side note: getting to the treehouse is a bit challenging if you are not comfortable driving really narrow roads that have sharp turns, there is also no cell phone reception once going up the Redwoods.