[Things We Adore Sunday] Vampire Wine, Feather Tattoos, DIY Makeup & The Thought Catalog

1. My friend Jeff posted this on my friend Sara's wall. Wow, I'm a stalker. Then again, Jeff told me about it so maybe not so much? Anywho, True Blood is starting up and I need a fitting beverage - enter Vampire Vineyards, a wine company riding the wave of supernatural obsession. The vineyard is apparently run by a coven of vampires and the wine is apparently pretty legit. They just opened a tasting room in LA; def on the destination list when I finally fly across the pond :-) Wines include: True Blood, Chateau de Vampire, Dracula and Vampire... I think they should add Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn and then I'd be 100% down. Don't judge me.


2. I just got a new tattoo, but I can't help being obsessed with feather tattoos. Here are a few of my favorites:
Maybe on my other side?

Source: tumblr.com via Erm on Pinterest

Source: tattoologist.com via Brianne on Pinterest

source

3. Adorable blog and perfect DIY cheek tint recipe from The Velvet Bird. I want to make this NOW. But I can't (bc of finals, my poor location and general preoccupation) so I'll wait. But I'm definitely doing it in the near future :-)


4. Carrie just told me about The Thought Catalog - a frequently updated collection of hilarious essays and stories from cool people like us. My favorite essays so far are Inappropriate Songs I Enjoyed as A Child and Notes on Dating a Crazy Girl, as well as the follow-up, Notes on Being the Crazy Girl Guys Like to Date.

[Food + Drink Wednesdays] Mulled Wine

I just made mulled wine and decided it is my favorite part of the holiday season. Sugar? Good. Cinnamon? Good. Oranges? Goooood. Wine? Perfect. 

Here's the recipe I used. It tastes most yummy just before it hits room temperature. 

Throw together in a pot: 

• 1 bottle of red wine (try Merlot, Cabernet Sav, or Zinfandel)
• 1/3 cup white sugar (I don't like it super sweet, but you can add up to 2/3 cup)
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 1 orange (sliced and zested)
• 8-10 cloves
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 cup brandy

Then cook all of it on low heat for 20-25 minutes. Don't let it boil, whatever you do. You don't want to reduce the wine at all. 

Drink up!

Photo from cafebabel

[Things We Adore Sunday] Camera Gadgets, Wedding Dress, Palin and Mulled Wine

SHOP the Photojojo Store has everything camera lover could possibly want. I have my eyes on the pinhole body cap, the Tokyo Dreamer Strap and the adorable SLR sloop camera bag.

WATCH this Sarah Palin interview I found on Perez Hilton with my favorite idiot, Bill O'Reilly. Gotta love the mama bears/want to gouge your own eyes out. This interview reminds me why Sarah Palin is a dangerous, crazy woman. My favorite bit is the statement that feminists don't teach their children self-reliance. WTF. WTF. WTF.

WANT this handmade wedding dress from the Ouma store on Etsy. Gorgeous! I wouldn't mind wearing a pink wedding dress.


DRINK mulled wine - here's a Jamie Oliver recipe that I use

[Travel Saturdays] West Coast Wine Tasting in Winter

Last week, I took a short day trip up the Northern California coastline to visit the Russian River wine region. Most people save their wine tasting trips for the summer, when the days are long and tastings stretch on for hours and lead to picnic lunches and hangovers that start somewhere around 9PM. In the winter, you have to be much more strategic about where you go because you have fewer hours of daylight. 

My friends and I chose three wineries to visit because of price, hours, and the breadth of their selections. That way, everyone got a little of everything they wanted. 

1. Korbel: Free tasting, free tour of the champagne cellars, and a wonderful cafe to eat lunch. 

Photo of the brandy tower from Sunset

I got a bottle of the sec, which is perfect for super-sweet mojitos because it is dry and not syrupy sweet like the Brut. I also picked up some of their cream sherry, which the tour guide said is good for curing coughs. I'll probably just drink it because it tastes so damn good. You can't get this stuff anywhere but at the winery or online. Their wine sucks though, so don't bother with that. 

2. Martinelli: This is a much cozier establishment with super-friendly staff. You do have to pay $5 for the tasting, but they also gave us about 10 coupons for free tastings at other wineries in the Napa and Sonoma areas. My only complaint was that they definitely focus too much on Syrah (that's a personal preference thing though) and there were fruit flies buzzing around who were trying to get into my wine glass. 

Foggy day at the vineyards

3. Kendall-Jackson: I know it's not exactly the most original, but it is quite fancy. And the staff tailored our tasting to each one of our preferences. They had a really tasty, sweet Riesling that I loved (and bought with my 10% discount that Martinelli threw my way) and a nice Moscato. The ambience was also worth the visit. Got me thinking about my wedding to ______ (who will it be!?).

Inside the wine tasting room

I definitely recommend the wine country in winter. It's much quieter and more intimate and, really, there's no excuse not to enjoy wine in every season on every day of the year.