All Hallow's Eve

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and everyone has a great day and night (if your going trick or treating please be safe)!! As for me, I have been watching reruns of Halloween all weekend on AMC. It is my favorite movie of all time. I love this time of year and I especially love Halloween (it's my favorite holiday)!! I will be sad when its over this year. Anyways, I will be back tomorrow with another Artsy Tuesday post, but for now...

Happy Halloween!!

{picture via Unkown, from the movie Halloween (my fave)}

Fave Friday

1. Seeing Bubble Dress; ModCloth {$107.99}

2. Sandblasted Mercury Glass Vase; Pottery Barn {$149.00}

3. Blowfish Brodie Bootie; Zappos {$59.00}

4. Rouge Dior Lipstick in Dolce Vita Pink-555; Dior {$32}

5. Harvest Season Dress; ModCloth {$44.99}

I think this is my best Fave Friday in awhile! Love all of it so much! Well, hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Yummy Taco Pasta

Taco Pasta 

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
2 package taco seasoning
2 14oz can diced tomatoes
2 boxes Rotini pasta
1 can black beans 
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 avocado, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat oil or butter over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef or turkey and taco seasoning and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Break up any clumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the diced tomatoes and black beans with their juices. Cover and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done add the meat, tomato and black bean mixture to the pasta. Stir in 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese. Serve with avocados and remaining cheese for garnish.


Note: It makes a bunch and you will have plenty of leftovers.


I made this over the weekend and it was so good. So enjoy and let me know how you like it!

My Book Wishlist

I am the proud owner of a Kindle, but sometimes I just love to have actual books laying around, particularly, home design books and cookbooks. I thought I would share with you what is on my 'book wishlist'. I recently purchased Domino: The Book of Decorating and Real Simple's The Organized Home and love them, but they aren't the only ones I want laying around my place. So take a look at my favorites and let me know what's on your 'book wishlist'!

First Row {from left to right}: 

The Gospel According to Coco Chanel; Allegra Hicks: An Eye for Design; 

Parisian Chic: A Style Guide; Design* Sponge at Home

Second Row {from left to right}: 

Les Petites Macarons; Small Sweet Treat: Sassy, Savory, and Sweet; 

Jonathon Adler on Happy Chic Accessorizing; Jonathon Adler on Happy Chic Colors

Third Row {from left to right}: 

Decorate; Better Homes and Garden New Decorating Book; 

Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery; Creative Walls

Artsy Tuesday - Monorail

I introduce to you Daniella Valerio and Sandrine Molnar from Monorail Studio on Etsy. They are from Austin, Texas and started Monoral Studio back in January 2011. They believe that the look and feel of a handprinted illustration have a place in galleries and in any home. Their shop includes color-customizable, limited and open edition screenprints. Daniella and Sandrine's theme focuses on classic iconography, pop culture and clean modern design. The screenprints are inspired by the sea, where both artists spent most of their childhoods. All prints come on eco-friendly paper and printed with eco-friendly ink.  

These two are so talented and have a great eye for screenprint design. The colors that they offer for their prints are beautiful. I like the clean look of their prints, as well as the vividness they provide. I absolutely adore the Native American Totem Pole prints especially since I have a fascination for the Native American culture. They are absolutely wonderful. I think I could find a home for all of them in my place to be honest. Below are some of my favorites from their shop. Hope you love them as much as I do. 

{Ampersand Screenprint; Native American Possum Totem Pole Screenprint} 

{Let's Climb A Mountain Together Screenprint; Fly Away Screenprint}

{Antler Silhouette Screenprint; Native American Owl Totem Pole Screenprint}

{Native American Sloth Totem Pole Screenprint; You & Me How Sweet Screenprint}

{I Want To Ride My Bicycle Screenprint; Feathers Screenprint}

All screenprints come customizable in 25 beautiful colors. I think I will be adding all of these to my Christmas list. I can't say enough of how much I love their work. So go take a look at their shop and let me know what you think.

Information about Monorail Studio was provided by Monorail Studio or taken from their profile on Etsy.

* Message to readers: Out of respect for the artist and their copyrighting, please do not, in any way, copy, use or reproduce any of these pictures without consent from the artist. Thank you. *

My Art Feature in My Owl Barn's 2012 Owl Lover Calendar

So I started drawing owls and eventually am going to be setting up an Etsy shop under the name of 'le petit owl'. In the meantime though I submitted a piece to Shivani on My Owl Barn for her annual Owl Lover Calendar. She graciously accepted the piece and included it in the calendar. Of course, it was my first owl I did so I am not totally happy with it, but I was very excited to get out there and that Shivani was so kind to include mine. So go check out her site and also check out the 2012 Owl Lover Calendar, it's free to download. My owl is above my name 'Kayleigh Bellant'. Its not as fabulous as the other true artists on the calendar, but its cute and I am somewhat proud of it {I am very critical on myself, can you tell?}. Hope you all like it and hopefully sometime in the next few weeks I can share all of my art with you and get my shop up and running!

{image via My Owl Barn}

Fave Friday

1. lps 20 Dress; La Posh Style {$42.99}
2. PUMA 'Zandy' Flat; Nordstrom {$69.95}
3. Farmer's Egg Crate; Anthropologie {$14}
4. Wise Ol' Cookie Jar; Anthropologie {$98}
5. Rifle Journals Set of 3; Paper-Source {$12}
6. Double-Buckle Boots; J.Jill {$169}

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Cute Scarves, Hats, Gloves, Oh My!

The start of fall has officially and finally begun down here in New Orleans. Its in the low 60's during the day and supposed to get in the 30's at night. It has been so hot that its nice for it to actually cool off, but for me its cold! So before work today I was scurring to find my scarves, hats, and gloves. I also wanted to see what else was available in the online shopping world so far this year (because I am sure more will come out). I found some really cute stuff. So check out my favorites below and HAPPY FALL!

Scarves

{top row (left to right): Cameron Cable Scarf Twist li, Roots; Chelsea Plaid Scarf, Roots; Penny Floral Scarf, Banana Republic; Plaid Fringed Scarf, Banana Republic}

bottom row (left to right): Microspun Infinity Scarf, JCrew; Come Full Circle Scarf, ModCloth; Hi, Mum Scarf, ModCloth; Fossil Annabelle Solid Infinity Scarf; Zappos}

 Hats

{top row (from left to right): Cameron Cable Toque Twist II, Roots; Ombre Cable Toque, Roots; Bowtie Newsboy, Roots; Knit Faux Fur Trapper Hat, Banana Republic}

{bottom row (from left to right): Natasha Headband, Roots; Ring of Kerry Hat, ModCloth; Coloma Gold Beret, Anthropologie; Katja Cap, Anthropologie; Slouchy Pointelle Beanie, Anthropologie}

 Gloves

{top row (from left to right): Snowy Fox Chunky Mitt, Roots; Cabin Glove, Roots; Striped Long Glove, Banana Republic; Uni-Form a Line Gloves, ModCloth}

{bottom row (from left to right): Hitting the Slopes Mittens, ModCloth; Fossil Kaitlyn Solid Convertable Glove, Zappos; Fossil Jess Gloves, Zappos; Button Band Gloves, Anthropologie}

I need to get some of these goodies! They all are so cute and will look so great on anyone.

Exploring the World of Art Journaling

On Pinterest lately I have been seeing some cute diy projects and have been pinning like a mad person {hence no sleep at night and aggervation to my boyfriend}. My latest obsession on Pinterest though has been art journaling. I know weird right? Why not just take on one thing, whether it be creating art or simply just journaling. Well that is why there is a little fun thing called 'art journaling'. You can do both at the same time and create a beautiful piece of work. After spotting tons of inspiration and pinning a couple of cute ideas, I then decided that I would find the time to go searching for a great journal to start one. I found a fun light purple 8" x 11" unlined journal at Barnes and Noble for, get this, $10.95. I felt this was a steal considering most nice quality journals these days cost approximately $20 a pop. Now if only I can get myself in gear and get going on this fun little project. I hope to make an art entry at least once a day and by the time its filled, have something beautiful and proud to show off to you all. In the meantime, here are some really cute journals that could work for this, including the one I purchased, and some pictures of 'art journaling' I have seen and loved on Pinterest.

{from left to right: Teal Basic Sketchbook, Barnes and Noble {this is the one I have, but in light purple}; Green Venice Sketchbook, Barnes and Noble; Teal Layered Medallions Journal, Barnes and Noble; Jonathan Adler Words Sketchbook, Barnes and Noble}

{from left to right: Designers Guild Notebook, Darly, Kate's Paperie; Bob's Your Uncle Grid Journal, See Jane Work; Moleskine Folio Art A4 Sketchbook, Barnes and Noble}

...and now for some art journaling inspiration from Pinterest...

{via Pinterest from Pam Garrison}

{via Pinterest from Papaya}

{via Pinterest from Balzer Designs}

{via Pinterest from Simply Me}

{via Pinterest from A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk}

{via Pinterest from Besottment}

{via Pinterest from This Chicken}

{via Pinterest from Pinay New Yorker}

{via Pinterest from Tumblr}

{via Pinterest from A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk}

Doesn't this look like a fun thing to try? Well, wish me luck and I will keep you all updated with my progress and maybe even show a sneak peek or two before its all finished.

Artsy Tuesday - Piink Design Studio

I introduce to you Mindy and Ruth from Piink Design Studio on Etsy. They are a mother and daughter team from southern California. Mindy is the artistic one, while mother, Ruth is the business one. Mindy has shown an artistic ability since an early age. She taught art to children while in her high school years, as well as worked at a private studio. She became known for her watercolors, acrylics and ceramics. Ruth can be creative in her own way too, but has more of a love for antiques, fabric and sewing. She is also the business one having been in it for awhile. 

I love how they are in this little business together. How wonderful it would be to work with my mom on a daily basis. I love my mom so much as I am certain Mindy does {especially working together because I'm sure it can be hard sometimes}. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy Mindy's art as much as I do. They are all so whimsical and beautiful. I love how she uses watercolor in her work. I really need to learn how to paint with watercolor because its a beautiful skill to learn and done the right way, can be so striking. So take a look at my absolute favorites from her shop below and tell me what you think.

{from left to right: Funny Bird, Vintage Bottles, Love}

{from left to right: Traveler, Pink Donut, Golden Butterfly}

{from left to right: Giraffe, Sweet Flower, Cupcake, Vintage Umbrella, African Blue Elephant}

So beautiful, don't you think? I love the Sweet Flower print and Love print. So classy and feminine. I think I need to put a few on my Christmas list!! So, go check out her shop, she's got plenty of more to look at!

* Message to readers: Out of respect for the artist and their copyrighting, please do not, in any way, copy, use or reproduce any of these pictures without consent from the artist. Thank you. *

Out Sick

I am unfortunately out today with a horrible head cold, but will be back tomorrow with another Artsy Tuesday post! For now Bella and I will be curled up in bed watching spooky movies on AMC. Hope everyone has a great Monday and see you tomorrow.

Fave Friday

1. Luxe Sweatshirt; JCrew {$68}

2. Brandi Boot; Blowfish Shoes {$99}

3. Abba Jersey Scarf; Banana Republic {$39.50}

4. Carry On Nail Polish; Essie {$8}

5. Hand Blocked Zipper Case; West Elm {$7-$10}

Enjoy the weekend!

Fall + Pumpkin = Fabulous Recipes!

Over the weekend I decided to get crafty and try two new fall recipes I have been wanting to make. One is a yummy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta, while the other is a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread. Sounds delish right? Well I am going to share them with you so you can try them for yourselves and if you do please leave a comment and tell me how it turned out!

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
Servings: 4

Ingredients

- one small fresh pumpkin

- olive oil

- 2 packages of fettuccine pasta noodles 

- 1/2 cup cream, heavy or light

- 1 cup packaged parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

- 1 teaspoon nutmeg  

Directions

- Cut the pumpkin in pieces leaving the skin on, brush with olive oil and roast them in an 400F oven for 45 minutes, until the flesh is soft. Let them cool a bit before you peel off the skin.

- Put the roasted pumpkin pieces in a food processor with the cream and parmesan cheese. Pulse until everything is mixed, but be sure that the mixture still has some texture. Add some water if needed, the sauce consistency should be thick and creamy.

- Finish the pumpkin sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add a teaspoon of nutmeg.

- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and reserve a little pasta water.

- Mix the cooked pasta with the pumpkin sauce, put on a very low heat and add the reserved pasta water if needed.

- Add extra parmesan when its all done and enjoy!

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Ingredients

Filling

- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

- 1 large egg

- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bread

- 1  2/3 cups all-purpose flour

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

- 1/4 teaspoon ginger

- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1 (14 oz) can pumpkin puree

- 1/2 cup canola oil

- 2 large eggs

- 1  1/2 cups sugar

- 1/2  cup chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Glaze

- 1 cup powdered sugar

- 3 Tablespoon half & half

- 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside. In a large bowl, blend 1  2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, canola oil, eggs and sugar; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the chopped pecans or walnuts.

- Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the two prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter layers in each loaf pan and then spoon or pour on the remaining pumpkin batter. Take a knife and stick straight down into the top pumpkin batter layer and middle cream cheese layer; swirl the knife around in these two layers, creating a marble effect; this will give the cream cheese filling a nice swirly shape as it bakes.

- Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes; remove to a rack to cool completely. While waiting for the bread to cool, mix your cinnamon glaze: combine powdered sugar and half & half, blending well; then add cinnamon and mix until smooth and creamy. Drizzle over completely cooled bread loaves and enjoy!

.......................................................................................................................................................................

Hope you all enjoy these recipes as much as I did.

My Favorites from ModCloth

I love ModCloth so much that I decided to share my favorites from their site. Right now, especially for fall, they have the cutest stuff. I hope to order a bunch of goodies soon. I can't believe how many products they have. I feel I could browse their site forever.

 {from left to right: Dash to Class Skirt, Sail by Night Dress, Fair Trade Secret Skirt, Your Year Dress}

{from left to right: MC Glamour Skirt, The Morse the Merrier Dress, Hazelnut Latte Sweater, Stylish Selection Skirt}

{from left to right: Raise a Glass Dress, Crinkled Confection Dress, Let's Celebrate Dress, Commencement Speech Skirt}

{from left to right: Everyday Birthday Dress, Poppy of Color Skirt, Blurring by Dress in Midnight, Greeny Bopper Dress}

{from left to right: Morning, Dune, and Night Dress, Either Orbit Skirt, Forget Me Never Skirt, Vocal Celebrity Dress}

{from left to right: Hat to Have It, Storybook Setting Socks, Hat to Believe in Charcoal, Special Jewelry Box Earrings}

{from left to right: Owl Clean Bath Mat, Third Meow's the Charm Magnet Set, Soft Spoken Style Laptop Bag, Thirst in Flight Tumbler}

Wonderful, huh? Go check out the many more goodies they have and don't blame me if you fall in love and buy too much! Hehe...