pink rickshaw

november super six

"Instant gratification is not soon enough."-Meryl Streep

Recently when I was at a drugstore, I walked by their (very not busy) photo center and had a flashback to the days of yore. You know, the days of dropping off film and waiting eagerly to get back your glossy or matte 4x6 prints.  There was the dreaded period which ranged from anywhere from 1 hour to gasp! seven whole days to get back those precious photos. Albeit there was probably no greater joy than getting handed that envelope and looking at the pictures right at the counter. Flash forward to November 2011 and the three seconds it takes my photo to "process" on my Instagram iPhone app seems like an eternity. How easily we forget. Here's a glimpse at how November looked like via my Instagram. It's an Insta-PR Super Six.

 
 


1. Insta-Paris: Petits Pain au Chocolat
I used this recipe to make this delicious and super simple pastry that's just the right amount flaky and oh so chocolaty. It is the perfect winter weather breakfast treat. Close your eyes and your instantly in a bakery in Paris.
 
2.Insta-Dri: Ring finger statement nail
Still loving the statement nail. I think the other nails are starting to get jealous. One of my favorite polishes right now is Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri. It's borderline concerning how quickly it dries.

3. Insta-fashion: Stylemint
Like many, I was intrigued to hear about Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's new site, StyleMint, but of course slightly skeptical as well. Thoughts that came to mind--membership: boo!! and $29.99 for a fabby tee: too good to be true. Here's how it works. The members only site sends you a t-shirt for $29.99 (shipping included) monthly. You take a style quiz when you join the site and every month there are recommendations for you based on your fashion profile. You select your tee from that month's chic collection designed by the duo and voila! you get a piece from the twins' fashionable empire. So, what's the verdict? I received my first tee this month (the Broadway T in Royal Blue stripe) and have to admit I'm hooked. The shirt is a nice heavy 100% pima cotton (perfect for winter) and the perfect stripe and cut. You can see it styled here. It's blasphemous I doubted fashion royalty like the Olsen twins and am pretty excited to see what they come up with every month. (If Stylemint has peaked your interest, also check out Jewelmint and Shoemint which are the same concept with jewelry and shoes designed by other fashionable celebs).

4. Insta-notes: Rifle Paper Co. notebooks
Love these pretty notebooks to write down all my holiday to-dos. Rifle Paper Co. is fast becoming one of my favorite stationary lines. Check out their adorable holiday card collection.

trend: animal silhouette prints

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."-Mohandas Gandhi

Considering Turkey Day is here, it is very likely that the silhouette of a certain gobbling fowl is dancing in your head. Designers, on the other hand, have been seeing all kinds of animal silhouettes this fall. From horses and camels to felines like panthers and cats, there seems to be an animal silhouette pattern explosion. So, if you're out shopping this Black Friday, don't be surprised if you come across the trend and spot animal shapes on everything from dresses and blouses to scarves and home decor items like pillows.

The trend has been spotted on celebs and bloggers such as the Asos pony-print blouses and dresses (the Asos shirt dress is worn above by reality star Kourtney Kardashian) while Marc Jacobs focused more on the cat family with his Panthera collection. Also pictured above in a fun feline look is blogger Jules wearing a 36point5 blouse. If you're willing to give the patterns a try, here are some noteworthy ones worth passing on. Just remember, try to stick with neutral colors and basic accessories, or the look might look too silly or kiddie.

Pictured clockwise:
Anthropologie's Charlotte Taylor Dromedary dress
Forever 21's Ditsy Feline dress
Asos Virginie Castaway shirt in Horse Print
Fred Flare Zebra Crossing scarf

Happy Thanksgiving!

image source: sincerelyjules.com, Kourtney Kardashian: zimbio.com, Marc by Marc Jacobs blouse: nordstrom.com, anthropologie.com, forever21.com, fredflare.com, asos.com

-SD

cookie experiment: recipe five

"Shape is a good part of the fig's delight."-Jane Grigson

Curly fries, pinwheels, mid-meeting doodles--your love of all things swirly and fun might just contribute to your reputation as a free-spirit. We at PR, also like to stray from the straight and narrow occasionally. So, in honor of our fellow rebels, we conclude the great cookie experiment with a treat that will appeal to both your adult taste palate and youthful spirit. Martha Stewart's fig pinwheels recipe combines the sophistication of figs with a fun, whimsical shape that even the world's biggest rule follower (Martha, you know who you are) cannot refuse.

These cookies are great for fall due to their rich color and flavor but can be made during any season because they use dried figs. Unlike fresh figs which are typically only available until September, dried ones are readily available anytime of the year at your local specialty grocery store. I mixed dried Mission black figs and Turkish figs for a variety of colors and flavors. Feeling the autumn spirit (and a bit rebellious), I also substituted half of the golden raisins in the recipe with cranberries for a bolder flavor and color.

These cookies are fairly simple to make but they do require intermittent refrigeration steps to manipulate the dough, so patience is key. The filling looked and smelled amazing and would make a great topping on ice cream or cake. After running the filling through a food processor and spreading over the cookie dough, it was time to tackle the most complicated step: the swirls. Admittedly, my swirls look nothing like Martha's. The trick to achieving swirl greatness is to only refrigerate your dough and filling for 30 minutes--just enough time to have firm but pliable dough. I left my cookies in the refrigerator too long, and the dough started to break during rolling. While, the cookies might have turned out lopsided, they tasted great. These cookies have a shortbread consistency and the buttery richness of the cookie works great with the sweet fig filling--a must-try for adults, kids and even kid-like adults.

image source: RW

-RW

meet: ode clothing for kids

"If your mom picks your clothes and you don't like them, tell her they don't fit."-Christine, age 6

There is probably no greater time to be a mini-fashionista. Forget Osh Gosh, a baby's first words might be Missoni, Gucci and Zara (all of which have kids lines). Little divas can add even more stylish choices to their wardrobes thanks to sisters Rupa Motwani and Amisha Patel. Hitting just the right balance of toddler with a little bit of tiara and a dash of international chic, the siblings are the founders of kids clothing line, Ode. Combining Indian textiles with modern designs, the duo is getting plenty of blogosphere buzz about their fusion line that they describe as clothes that "evoke faraway places without looking like souvenirs." Pink Rickshaw had a chance to chat with the gals behind Ode about their company and cute collections for tots.

PR: You named your brand for the Indian village of Ode. Tell us why it was so special to you.
ODE: Ode is where our father grew up. And visits there, for a long time, were the closest we could get to a time machine. Things there stood still while the rest of the world marched on. We played at the same places my father did as a child. The fact that it was so far away in distance and time made it seem an exceptionally magical escape. Also, the parrots, monkeys and very cool ice-cream flavors certainly helped make Ode so special..even today. 





PR:We love that Ode has coined the term "globetoddler". Describe one.
ODE: A globetoddler knows no boundaries or borders. The world is her playground and the people in it are her friends and family.

PR: What was the inspiration for the Spring 2012 collection?
ODE: Our source of inspiration was the beautiful and lush greens of India's tropical south. We used ikats and block prints, trying to recall the colors of spices, the sea and the lush landscape there.

PR: Do you have a favorite item from your collections?
ODE: Amisha loves the Spring 2011 Uma in indigo and Rupa loves the Fall 2011 Celia in gray.

PR: Tell us a little bit about the Fall/Winter collection.
ODE: For Fall/Winter 2012, we're working with co-ops in Peru to produce accessories and sweaters in alpaca wool as well as pima cotton to complement our core collection made from Indian textiles. We want to tone down a little and use more earth tones.

4 minutes: movember

"With great moustache comes great responsibility."-Family Guy

 

Happy November! Or shall I say Movember? To start this month, let's talk about the ol' stache. The crumb catcher. The nose neighbor. The soup-strainer. Fellas, if you have ever wanted to grow a little (or big) moustache, this month you can join thousands of men in the US and around the world that will doing the same while helping out a very important cause. The Movember movement which started in Australia in 2003 (mo is Aussie slang for moustache) is a facial hair adventure where men commit to have a moustache for 30 days to raise awareness and funds for the often ignored issues of men's health, specifically prostate cancer. The popular effort started by the non-profit Movember Foundation had 64,500 people participate last year in the US alone and raised over $7.5 million for cancer research and programs. Are you already stroking your soon-to-be 'stache in intrigue? Here's how it works.

Guys, start out clean shaven today, November 1. Register at the fun Movember website which will help you spread the word to friends and family about your hairy endeavor to raise funds for the cause. Grow, groom and show off that puppy for the next 30 days. On November 30th, celebrate the end of your moustache month and feel good that the money raised is going to programs like Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and men's health awareness and education.

And ladies, don't think you have to be left out. You can participate and there's no facial hair growing involved (thank goodness). Just support the moustached men in your life (women are lovingly referred to as mo sistas) by hiding any disdain you may have for the moustache, helping to spread the word, donating or even starting your own online fundraising page. So, fellas, time is ticking...we promise the ladies will love your generosity and the 'stache..well, at for these 30 days.

image source: Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation (nbc.com), Brad Pitt (Associate Press), Hritik Roshan (Jodha Akbar film still), Ryan Gosling (Getty images)

-SD