Closed//Easter Giveaway from Mikarose!

3.31.2013

The winner is Amy Pugmire!

Happy Easter you beautiful, tropical fish!
Just wanted to pop in and offer the readers that i love so much a special little $50 shop credit giveaway from Mikarose!
To enter make sure you're a public follower of this blog and...
1. Visit Mikarose and tell me what you'd get if you won

Extra Entries (new comment for each)

3. Comment on their wall telling them you came from i believe in unicorns.
4. Pin this giveaway
+Open to U.S and Canada residents. 
+Be sure and provide a way for me to contact you if you win!

The mikarose dress I'm wearing in this post can be found here
Do you love this color as much as i do?

one of my favorite humans on the earth.

3.28.2013

And perhaps to your surprise, it's not David Beckham, but instead Ellen. 
Although after this video, David is up there.
this video had marcus and i laughing so hard that i could hardly breath and tears were squeezing out of our eyelids.
you will enjoy. that's an order.

What's the funniest thing you've seen this week?

eight tips for hawaii.

3.26.2013

tip #1//if you go to get matsumoto's shave ice and the line is insane, the shaved ice place next door is just as delicious and huge (these are kids sizes!).
tip #2//get ice-cream at the bottom.
tip #3//when in hawaii, drink it up, look in all directions at all times--everywhere you look is somehow prettier than the last.
tip #4//never be sad about the rain, because you have this to look forward to.
tip #5//make a mix for the trip, only listen to said mix, then everytime you listen to those songs back at home, you'll be transported back (in your mind) to that grand adventure. 
Vampire Weekend was our honeymoon soundtrack the first time we went to hawaii!
tip #6//if you ever have the chance to move to hawaii and become a cowgirl, take the grand opportunity--the country is just as pretty as the beach out there!
tip #7//eat at least this much ted's bakery pie.
tip #8//go to hawaii!
 miss it already.

hippie-gypsy.

3.25.2013

last week. last week. i don't even know what to say about it. it was, well, insane, and it made me feel insane. the fact that i have control issues (both that i like to control things and that i abhor being controlled) is not news to me, but i hate being reminded of it. 
this week i felt like no time was my time. that all 168 hours were assigned to someone else--i don't enjoy that feeling. i assume it's something i just need to get used to, but i know i never will--instead i need to learn how to manage my time more efficiently so that i always have a little bit of time that's just for me. i know sanity is worth that effort. it may sound selfish of me, but i don't think it is--and if it is, i guess i don't care. i believe personal health requires personal time. i'm rambling now--i think i need to get back into a yoga routine.
thank heavens it's a new week! 
cheers to a better one than the last!!!
<<what i wore>>
dreamcatcher necklace//gift from marcus
asymmetrical crop-top//nastygal $11 (buy similar here)
high-waisted skinny jeans//forever21 (very similar here)
gold bracelets and watch// c.o. a beautiful heart (buy here) and c.o. mimi's the look (buy here 15% off with code UNICORN)
sandals//target $17 (buy them here, trust me, you want to)
what do you do to cut out time for yourself?
 how to you not let the job/babies/other job/dog/fill in the blank take up all your 168 hours? 
i'd love to know and learn.

{foodie} friday: toad stools

3.22.2013

i had these at my sister-in-law, Reachel's, party i couldn't stop eating them.
now they're a regular snack here at the Nielson home.
since i've taken these photos, we've started serving them with a balsamic reduction.
it's no wonder i like them, they combine three of the finest things on earth--cheese, fresh basil and tomato! sometimes i just can't forgive myself for taking so long to love tomato.
 i simply cube jack cheese, slice a basil leaf, and half grape tomatoes.
stack and impale with a toothpick, then you can drizzle or dip in a balsamic reduction or eat alone.


lucky meeting you here.

3.16.2013

friday night we had the best accidental encounter.
we were driving in mesa and we decided to go take some pictures at this new downtown mesa urban garden project. we had stopped by there once before to see what it was all about and it was still in it's very early stages.
<<what i wore>>
head scarf//vintage (similar here)
sunnies and lace top//c.o. oasap  
undershirt//c.o. undertease 
belt and pencil skirt//j.crew (similar belt here and skirt here $18)
turquoise bracelet//threads 
so we were taking some pictures and admiring how great everything was looking when this man, Ryan, walked up to us, introduced himself as the creature of the project and started telling us his inspiration to turn downtown mesa into something really great--since this is a subject that often graces the mouths of marcus and I, we were all ears. he's created a space that you can rent out garden plots, they provide the water and watering system and the beautiful space in which to work. your rent also includes admittance into some really cool events they'll be having at the space. they even let me plant some sunflowers before i left (still have a little dirt under my fingernail)! you should go check it out in a few weeks and see them bloom!
we then asked him about the progress of the restaurant next door, Republica Empanda, another new project we had been keeping our eye on. he told us to go over there and talk to the owner, he was in there now.
we were so excited to get a glimpse of it before it opened, and boy oh, boy, we were not disappointed. 
the building has been a life-time favorite of mine, and i had actually always dreamed of owning it and turning it into an amazing vintage clothing shop or a specialty soda bar, but when i saw that it went to someone who truly understood it's beauty and design, I couldn't have been happier for marco. marco is so nice and really passionate about mesa and bringing it back to life, and i love people like that.
i can't wait for them to open officially (Early April) so we can give them a try!

marcus basking in the idea of not having to drive to tempe, scottsdale or phoenix just to go somewhere cool and local to eat...
meeting two awesome, inspiring people whose projects we've been admiring for months by chance within minutes of each other was awesome! i love people who are brave enough to do something that's a little scary, because they're passionate enough to do something amazing. i want to be like that.

if you live in arizona or ever plan to come for a visit, you should like their pages on facebook to show support of some really great projects! 
Mesa Urban Garden 
Republica Empanada

{foodie} friday: snack time for grown-ups

3.15.2013

bruschetta is one of my favorite foods in the world--i crave it all the time. 
in tempe there is a place called la bocca and it has the best bruschetta of all time, but since it's kind of far and i'm not made of money sometimes i just have to make it at home. 
so here's one of my favorite little snacks:
slice up a mini baguette
toast it in a toaster oven or broil it in the oven
cut fresh tomatoes and fresh mozerella cheese in small cubes
slice fresh basil leaves into stripes
smear a small spoonful of pesto on the warm toast
pile on the toppings
drizzle a balsamic glaze over top
enjoy!
+i got my mini baguette from fry's for 99 cents and it's quite yummy
+pesto was from trader joe's, you can find it in the spagetti sauce section and it's delish
+to make a balsamic reduction simply pour a cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, stirring occasionally. simmer until the reduction is about half the amount you started with--but make sure to keep the heat down or you'll get a rather stiff reduction and it will be hard to drizzle.

anyone have a great pesto recipe i should try?

working girl//

3.13.2013

well, as i mentioned on instagram, i got a surprise new job last week at an ad agency in tempe. i had talked to a man there several months ago to see if they had any openings and i never really heard back from him and then last week i just got an email that said, 'hey we want to hire you. can you come in tomorrow?' ha!

anyways, i'm still in that terrifying, try to figure everything out without letting anyone know i don't really know exactly what i'm doing there yet, but i think it's going to be fun and i've already made some new friends. 
(how cool is this bag?)
<<what i wore>>
emerald earrings//anthropologie (buy here)
favorite bra ever//braologie (last day to enter this giveaway)
white denim//gap (buy here)
pony bag//c.o. oasap (buy it here)
oversized gold watch//mimi's the look (similar here)
brown sandals//old navy (similar here)
so some how i am now a nanny, a j.crew visuals worker, a blogger, and a influencer outreacher for an ad agency! 
how did this happen?
what it has done for me is make me really appreciate days off! today marcus and i both had a day off, so we spent our time coincidentally on the very street that i work eating brunch at NCounter (their french toast!!!), taking pictures, and perusing the shops on Mill Ave.
The weather was glorious (if you've ever wanted to visit Arizona, now is the time)!
I love that I love my husband, and i equally love that he loves spending time with me.

p.s. the bachelor finale?! ahhhh, tell me your thoughts!

© i believe in unicorns. Maira Gall.