the past few weeks have been a bit of an overwhelming whirlwind, and to distract myself from personal drama, work and rent increases, I have started  obssesing about redecorting my apartment. But, I'll be doing more adding then I will be changing things. I might experiement with moving a few things around to, see if i can create more space and flow in the rooms. But i really want to focus more on art, accents and functionality.

For example, I want to add shelves in the bathroom to create more storage space for all my lovely perfume bottle, skincare and make-up. I'd also like to add rugs to the kitchen and bedroom/living area, more shelves and little knick knacks to add depth and personality.

I've dubbed this the redecoration project, and I'll be sharing the process with you via blog. so stay tuned!

Recently,  I received a very short, and straight-to-the-point letter from my property management company, informing me that my rent will be increasing as of March 2010. I love my apartment very much, put i'm struggling to pay my rent as it is, and in all honesty there have been quite a few downsides to  moving, including a break-in, living above a very busy (and possibly deadly) intersection, an alarming number of car accidents (at said intersection), and an ever-so-hard to ignore large number of homeless people roaming the area.

The other day, i decided to do sum "just in case" apartment hunting. It didnt go so well. There is one building a few blocks over that I really like the look of - from the outside, at least. It was a gated building with lots of greenery and a fountain in the courtyard. The building had a very old, New York look to it, with brick exterior and patios for the units facing the street. I snuck in as a guest was coming out and was immediately disappointed by the disgusting carpet in the hallways, poor lighting, and filthy walls. I called off my apartment hunt right then and there.

Not only do I not want to go through the hassle of apartment searching again, I dont want to pack up all of my stuff, haul it out, and unpack it all over again.

I've already sent a letter to management asking them to please delay raising my rent, but if that doesnt work then i'm just gonna have to figure something out.. I can put up with the homeless people, the busy intersection or even the fact that I dont have a dishwasher, but,  I'm not giving up my hardwood (laminate) floors, my big spacious kitchen, or my tall sunshine-filled windows. If they decide to raise my rent, i'm just gonna have to make it work.

thats what Ugly Betty would do right? :-)

I guess im a little bit late on this, but my newest guilty pleasure is watching Bad Girls Club on Oxygen. It took a couple of episodes before i realized that there is absolutely no point to this show, except to watch a house full of girls that each think they are the hottest, toughest, and sexiest b!tch around. No one gets voted off, no one wins any prize money. The show is set in L.A. and each episode is an hour of lounging by the house pool, gossiping, cat fights, drinking, clubbing, and lusting after men.

What's really funny is, while I've heard a lot of people talking about the show, I absolutely refused to watch it. Until, they happened to be running a marathon of back-to-back episodes and there was nothing, better on TV at the time. After 1 or 2 shows I was addicted and now I cant think of a better way to spend my Tuesday nights.

Last week ABC announced that this would be the last season of Ugly Betty - my favorite show on network television - with just 7 episodes left until the series finale. Im so sad and upset! Ugly Betty is a great show with a dedicated fan base. Even though it had gotten a little goofy, when finally got back on track ABC started moving it all over the place, changing the time and days and making it hard for people to keep up.

Anyway, I want to share how much of an inspiration Betty has been to me. Our lives our parallel in so many ways. We both live big cities (her in NY, me in LA), are family oriented, have tough bosses, and we are both bloggers. Betty goes through so much crap working for Mode, but she always overcomes her tough situations. Whenever i have a problem at work or whenever something really get me down, I really stop and ask myself "what would Betty do?". Shes also ambitious, dedicated and driven and she doesnt stop just because someone says '"no."  When Wilhemina wouldnt let Betty choose the topics of her own articles, Betty started her blog. I too, started my own blogs for similar reason.

I was so excited when Betty finally moved out on her own. Even when she got tricked into leasing a crappy apartment, she didn't let that stop her. My apartment was broken into a couple months ago, and recently so was Betty's!

Betty was like a friend and I'm really sorry that I wont get to continue to grow and learn with my buddy. I'm really going to miss all of the Ugly Betty cast.

If you are a young professional with big dreams and a lot of determination you really should watch this show. Of course it's not all seriousness, it's plays much a like a soap opera, with a lot more fashion and comedic quips. I guess ill be investing in all 4 season DVD's so I can still get my Betty fix whenever i need it!

If you or some one you know is planning a wedding or special event this year I'd love to help. Specializing in small budgets and DIY decor, I can help you to plan the event of your dreams. From Baby and Bridal Showers, Sweet 16's and other Birthdays, to Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions - I have a wide range of industry contacts and resources.

If you are in Los Angeles or Southern California, and are interested in learning more about my services, please send me an email at tiara_mh@hotmail.com

Looking forward to working with you!

The indie film 500 Days of Summer got a lot of buzz and great reviews last year. It stars one of my favorite quirky actresses Zooey Deschanel (along with Joseph Gordon Levitt), and is a cutesy and comedic story about love - but, as they say in the movie, its not a love story.

One of the things i really like about the movie is that it takes place in L.A. but there's no sign of the Hollywood sign or Sunset Blvd, its the real L.A. that real L.A. residents know and love. Set in downtown, your almost fooled into thinking that the film's setting is in New York, with all the tall sky scrapers and city scenes, dive bars, rooftop cocktail parties, and even some lovely park scenes. No convertibles, tiny dogs in purses, or Beverly Hills shopping spree in sight.

In the movie, characters Tom and Summer frequent a park in the middle of downtown, that looked so beautiful, that I am anxious to see it in person. I've been dreaming of visiting New York's Central Park, forgetting that L.A. may very well have some very lovely parks I could be taking advantage of now.  A Google search tells me that the park is called Angles Knoll, and the cast of movie even received a key to the city from the mayor for bringing attention to the park. I hope to make a trip there very soon!

Read other stories on 500 Days of Summer:

L.A as filtered by love in (500) Days of Summer

For the Love of Los Angeles

Get the Look - Summers Bedroom

Last year, I made this fun purple swirl cake for a friend's baby shower. It was easy and fun to make. try it the next time you bake!

It was around Easter so I was able to find, Purple food coloring, marshmellow peeps, and frosting. Start with White cake mix, pour a little in a seperate bowl and add food coloring of your choice (you can do several bowls and several colors),  pour white mix into the pan. halfway through stop and add colored mix, then top off with the rest of the white cake mix. bake as directed and let cool before you frost (i was in a rush and my cake cracked down the middle). Frost and decorate however you'd like and when your guests cut the cake they get a colorful surprise!

When in doubt, buy me bookstore gift cards - clearly my family knowd this as I was showered in B&N and Borders gift cards at Christmas. And just my luck, the Borders near my house is closing so all books are 30% off.

I'm very excited about one of my purchases - a memoir called Petite Anlgaise by Catherine Sanderson. A true story, Catherine, was living in Paris with her French husband, and daughter. Bored with her life, she started a blog on a slow day at work. Her blog attracted readers from all over, and soon she beings an affair with one of her followers. Eventually, her job learns of her blog and fires her. From what I understand, she was able to sue them under French law and won her case.

I have yet to start the book, but I''m anxious to do so. The reviews have been very good. Catherine's blog is still up and running and she has also published a novel titled French Kissing. I'll be sure to share my review of the book.

yes I'm late, but happy new year anyway! I hope that everyone has made at least 5 new year's resolutions and plans on sticking to at least 1 of them. I've made several resolutions this year I think the more resolutions you make, the more liely you are to keep at least one of them. I dont expect that they'll all happen right away, but with some planning and determination, i hope to have accomplished them all by the end of the year.

I have an idea that if you set a resolution or goal for different aspects of your life, you'll have a greater chance of achieving them. For example, 4 major things that I want to work on involve  1. my kitchen, 2. personal style  3. my apartment decor, and 4. my wardrobe. Heres what I mean:

1. I want to not only be more active in the kitchen, trying new recipes and getting more creative, but also I want expand my kitchen stock - pots, pans, utensils, glass wear, and seasonings. This is something i can work on each time im in the grocery store, by grabbing a new spice every time, or getting a good roasting pan when i see it on sale at target.

2. In women's magazine there is always a story on developing your personal style. Style changes as people change. At this time, i am really beginning to love very girly and feminine things. I really like floral prints, hearts, anything with the word "Love",  flowers and, of course, Paris themes. So i look out for things that will help me to develop my personal style more. Even the smallest things, like when i came across this key chain at Old Navy. Just like the one from the Sex and the City movie!

3. Which bring us to my next resolution. So far i think i've done a great job of decorating my apartment and creating the Parisian theme that I wanted. Now i want to add a little more of my  personal style.  When I first moved, I kept a lot of fresh flowers, but it's been a while since ive been to the farmers market, and thats really something I want to start doing again. I also want to add a tall floor lamp for reading, a side table, and a few more accent pillows. I have such tall blank walls so I really want to add a lot of art. I came across some beautiful floral and Parisian themed prints by ISPhotographyon Etsy like these:

4. Last is something i always say im going to work on but never do - I really want to wear heels more often. I always run across women in heels at the grocery store or mall, and while im not saying I'm going to wear theme very day, I do want to wear them more often on a weekly basis, not just when im going to the club. Someplace, somewhere there is always a shoe sale, so I''ll definitely be on the lookout for cute shoes for less in 2010.

Sure, these resolutions are pretty broad, but by applying resoltuions to various aspects of my life, I hope to have a greater chance of keeping them. Please feel free to share some of your goals and resolutions with me!

I've always heard my Mom complain about how much she likes scarves but didnt know how to wear them . So,  when i came across two really nice pashminas, I thought they would make a great Christmas gift for her. My only concern was would she wear them? Later someone mentioned to me that you can find  tutorial videos of all sorts on YouTube (from how to apply eyeshadow to how to jailbreak an Iphone) so I came up with the genius idea of doing a search for "How to Wear Pashminas" - Voila! I found some really great videos with lots of tips on various ways to accesorize with a pashmina scarf.

On Christmas morning, after Mom unwrapped her gift I played a few of the videos for her, which were very helpful and informative. I even learned a few things myself, which inspired me to pull my own pashmina out of hiding and I've been wearing it (on the right occasion) ever since.

Enjoy!