Brickell Blooms

If you're looking for a place to buy fresh flowers in Miami, I highly recommend the street vendor off of Brickell Avenue (US1) and SW 26th Road - under the bridge at the entrance to Key Biscayne. You can create a nice big bouquet, of if you're like me, spend just a couple bucks on a few statement blooms. Since I'm a sucker for big pretty vases, I tend to keep my arrangements simple and effortless. These red daisies in particular were waiting for me last week when I got home. It's the little things :)

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

This year, I have been assigned to bring the dessert to Thanksgiving dinner - so I decided to do a trial run for a couple of friends last night.

I used Martha Stewart's recipe for the cupcakes and Paul Deen's for the cream cheese frosting - neither are very complicated. This time around I did purchase a piping bag for the frosting and it made decorating much easier! If you're still deciding on what treats to bring to your Thanksgiving feast, you may want to consider these delectable Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes.

Christmas Comes Early

Merrick Park had their annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony last night. I was definitely the only one without a child in hand! But thankfully I convinced my little sister to come with and we had a good time getting in the holiday spirit.

I tried so hard to get some good shots but there were too many people and my tripod isn't tall enough. I'm definitely going to go back on an off night to try again, but in the meantime here's one of the photos I took of the tree and then added a couple funky effects in post.

I like this next shot a lot. There was a high school choir singing Christmas carols and they were actually pretty good.

The Ramble

My mom and I went to The Ramble at Fairchild Tropical Garden for the first time this weekend and had a blast eating exotic fruits, browsing all the beautiful plants and flowers and snapping some interesting photos. If you live in South Florida, I highly recommend going next year. Now that the weather is nice, there's nothing better then spending a few hours outdoors with some good old-fashioned mother nature.

The first couple shots are from a fruit stand called Nature Boyz. My mom and I swore we had a Voodoo Witch Doctor making our drinks because after a few sips we started feeling high on life.

Fresh sugarcane.

Dragon fruit...delish!

If you plan on purchasing a lot of plants, BYOB - Bring Your Own Buggy. 

Nothing like some fresh veggies straight from the farm. 

This is a close-up shot of a banana tree. Wonder if this would survive on my balcony in Brickell?

Free samples everywhere!

The future makings of a Dragon Fruit plant. They say you just have to burry this in the dirt and it grows like crazy. My mom actually bought one so I'll believe it when I see it.

Plenty of odds and ends antiques for sale. Lion head anyone?

One of my favorite shots of the day.

Part of the Design section which featured handmade furniture. 

The itsy bitsy...

I really wanted to get closer here but was worried I'd scare the butterfly away. This is where my telephoto lens would have come in handy. The butterfly garden was absolutely wonderful! Butterflies and other colorful insects everywhere.

Homemade Red Velvet Cupcakes

When my girlfriend Eleni told me she was making Red Velvet Cupcakes for Family Dinner, I immediately said count me in. Baking is definitely not my forte, but I'm always down to learn. Every Sunday night a group of us who live in the building get together to eat, drink and delay the inevitable - back to the grind Monday morning. We call it Family Dinner and it's become our little tradition. Using Paula Deen's recipe, our cupcakes were a big hit! (We did run out of red food coloring, that's why they look a tad pink.)  Topped off with homemade cream cheese icing and pecans - delish! Let's just say we didn't hesitate licking the bowl.  

String me along

When it comes to home decor, comfort is key in my eyes. I believe in the softest sheets you can buy, lots of fluffy, oversized pillows and soothing colors that remind me of the beach. When I travel to new places, I love to buy random nic nacks and art to decorate my home. This string of vases came from a garden shop inside the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Think it goes perfect over our bed and we always get complements from visitors. This simple piece of art cost me about $15 and I love it. 

Weekend Wardrobe

It was the most beautiful weekend in Miami - high of 70 and not a cloud in the sky. The weather actually cooled off just enough for me to break out my leather motorcycle jacket, a recent purchase from my visit to NYC last month. Jacket and boot weather doesn't come around here often, so us native Floridians know to take advantage.

I'm on a boat

I decided to take Rusty on a walk tonight with my girlfriend Eleni and her pup Ernie. While strolling along the water behind the Icon we spotted this unbelievable yacht. Seriously, I wonder how much this baby must cost! Silly money.

I'm actually surprised how good this photo came out considering I didn't have my handy dandy tripod with me. I'll definitely be going back to this spot to give HDR photography another chance. Would also love to try some panorama shots because as you can see, this monster yacht doesn't even fit in the frame.

Drinks for two

No one really likes waiting for a table at a restaurant, but on this particular night, it felt nice to pull two stools up to the bar and order my all-time favorite cocktail - a dirty martini (extra dirty). I took these photos at Houston's in Coral Gables. So many things to love about this place, starting with the impeccable service and the fail proof food. Houston's is home to the best Veggie Burger I've ever had - I'm not a vegetarian but always prefer it over the real deal. Also a huge fan of their Spicy Tuna Roll - who knew an American restaurant could do sushi so well.