Don't Let Grinch Steal your Ginch

Last Friday I was invited to attend an underwear show/shopping event put on by Team Diva and Retail Therapy. The divas Kim and Chavi put together an incredible evening filled with drinks, food, fashion and all in the perfect venue for getting a little Christmas shopping done. I also got a chance to meet lots of wonderful It's My Darlin readers!

(Photo courtesy of Anna Ottum Photography)

Mingling before the show

Fabulous hosts Chavi and Kim: The lovely ladies behind Team Diva Real Estate

(Photo courtesy of Anna Ottum Photography)

These onlookers came across some pretty amazing window shopping...

(Photo courtesy of Anna Ottum photography)

Christy & Morgan of Mini Empire Bakery. These girls made some seriously tasty vegan goodies for guests to graze. They have invented a brilliant creation that they call Scookies... a scone without the massive calorie commitment in the form of a bite size cookie. These two certainly have both your sweet tooth and waistline in mind.

(Photo courtesy of Anna Ottum Photography)

I love this piece!

The event photographer Anna Ottum. I had to get a shot of her perfectly put together yet casual outfit. So lovely!

Noel & Trent

Rocky & Ricardo- These two were the life of the party. They sported their model attire through the end of the night and happily posed for tons of pictures.

Such a fun time!

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Mariana & Joe

Mariana & Joe- At Pine & Broadway in front of Walgreens on Capitol Hill.

I can't believe it's this dark at 4:00 already. It has officially arrived, that time of year when I walk to work in the dark and home as the sun is setting.

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Geneva

Geneva- Between Pike & Pike on Broadway.

Geneva was visiting Seattle from Olympia and spending the afternoon wandering around Capitol Hill. She is originally from San Francisco and was telling me about a blog that she loves from there called SF Style. I checked it out this afternoon and ended up looking through back posts for a long time. Very fun! It also reminded me of my intense love for that city.

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Ashley & Ben

Ashley & Ben- On 8th & Pine in Downtown Seattle. Both of these coats are so great!

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Ben & Jordan

Ben & Jordan- Running the Woodring Northwest stand at the University District Saturday Farmer's Market. It's amazing what a few studs on one piece can add to an outfit. I have been coveting all of the studded oxfords, bags, boots, and coats all over the place right now. They look especially great with an outfit that it otherwise prep or feminine. I like how Jordan added these boots to simple outfit and floral scarf. And the color of Ben's jeans is perfect. They are like a updated take on the traditional duck material.

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Weekly CHS Hill Style- Ursula & Jules

Ursula & Jules- Between Pike & Pine on Broadway. Check out the full feature on CHS.

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Seamus Cuddy

Seamus Cuddy- Playing outside of Pacific place in Downtown Seattle. Seamus plays slide guitar in a band called The Bootleggers based out of New Orleans.

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Boutique Culture Warehouse Sale

This is where I will be spending my Sunday morning. If you haven't heard about this event yet then definitely check out the website. It looks like it will be a lot of fun and a really great place to do some Christmas... or personal... shopping. I can't wait to see what Moksha is bringing. I have really been loving that store in the last year. Stop and say hey if you see me there!

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Sarah

Sarah- In front of First & Pike News at Pike's Place Market.

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Reyna

Reyna- 11th & Madison on First Hill.

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Krista

Krista- On Broadway in front of Miller Park in Capitol Hill.

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Brittany

Brittany- On University Ave in the U District. Such an incredibly simple outfit that works so well. Sometimes a few classic pieces are suited best without adding vibrant accessories. I love her knee highs. I have a few and can't ever seem to make them stay up... they always end up hovering right around my upper calf area. Whenever I see someone wearing them without fidgeting/pulling/situating I am incredibly impressed and jealous.

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Kirby & Christine

Kirby & Christine- At 10th & Pike on Capitol Hill. Kirby has a fashion blog called Tea Party where he posts things that inspire in the world of fashion, art, and photography. Definitely check it out, he finds some truly beautiful and outstanding photos around the web.

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Weekly CHS Hill Style- John

John- Pre-Thanksgiving shopping at the Madison Market Co-op on Capitol Hill. Check out this week's feature on CHS.

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Asya- Take Two

Asya- 14th & Pine outside of Online Coffee on Capitol Hill. This was my second time crossing paths with this lovely lady. She has a fun new haircut since I last took her photo.

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Time to Eat!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

After much deliberation over all of the amazing places serving Thanksgiving Dinner that I read about on Veganscore (thanks again Anika, that list was amazing!) we have decided to cook... well sort of. Last weekend we went to Sidecar for Pigs Peace in the U-District and picked up a bag full of Field Roast goodies. This year we are having their "Meat" loaf instead of the Celebration Roast and we are also trying out their White Truffle Country Pate and Herbed Choa "Cheese". In addition, our friends who are having us over are making us vegan stuffing, sweet potato pie, grilled asparagus, mashed potatoes (which we are bringing Tofurky gravy for), a fruit salad with mangos, papaya, berries and pomegranate, and an endless list of desserts. We will be drinking wine from Substance and Pepperwood Grove and having a champagne toast. After a long run in the rain tomorrow morning it's off to this vegan Thanksgiving extravaganza!

To any of you who took advantage of the incredible Vegan Thanksgiving dinners at all the restaurants around town I would LOVE to hear about it! It was hard to decide not to check one out (Plum just about had us) but a thanksgiving in with friends sounded just right this year.

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Shannon & Marie- Souvenir find

Shannon & Marie- At the Ballard Sunday Farmer's Market. These two had just left one of my very favorite places in Seattle, Souvenir, where Marie got the gorgeous brooch on her lapel. What a find! I have written about Curtis Steiner's gallery/shop Souvenir a few times and I can't encourage you enough to make a trip there to see what all the fuss is about. You will leave feeling incredibly inspired and also quite possibly in a little pain over the treasures you had to leave behind there.

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John & Caitlin

John & Caitlin- Between 15th & 16th on Pine.

Her boots and unique tights, his coat and cuffed pants, their happy faces on a cold rainy day... I was in a big rush but I just had to stop these two for a quick photo. I often times start to think we are limited this time of year in the Northwest by our weather but really it's just a great excuse to get creative with accessories and layering. We Seattleites tends to be quite savvy in this area. We get a lot of practice.

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Sutra Vegetarian Restaurant

This is long overdue but we went to Sutra in Wallingford a while back and I have been meaning to post about it since. The menu at Sutra changes every few days in order to utilize the current available local and organic ingredients that Seattle and the surrounding areas have to offer in order to create a creative and thoughtful vegan pre fixe dinner each weekend. Our evening was incredible from the moment we arrived and were greeted by the the staff who would be creating and serving us our dinner from the small efficient open air kitchen.

We started off with Blueberry Hybiscus Sparkling Elixer w/ agave nectar. Not too sweet and completely refreshing.

The smoked lentils used to create the first course were created in Sutra's in house smoker that has never seen meat. I had never heard of smoking things other than fish and meat but after eating this dish I can't believe it isn't done more often.

I was weary when I read on the menu that there would be grilled cantelope in this salad. I quickly found out that cantelope loves being grilled and I love grilled cantelope. I think what made it work so well in this dish was being mixed with a spicy dressing. It was such a complicated mix of flavors but it all tasted so refreshing together.

Because of this dish, I am certain that you could bring even the biggest carnivore here and they wouldn't even notice the absence of meat. The chile was stuffed full with hearty vegetables and a pecan cheese that may have finally made me question my across the board dislike of vegan cheeses. The idea behind this dish was a wonderful mix of comfort food and creativity. The flower adorning the potatoes was not only edible but it was grown in the garden behind the restaurant... I just kept getting more and more impressed with every course.

And finally dessert. This ice cream was exactly what I am always hoping to taste when I buy vegan ice cream at the store. Vegan ice creams always have a flavor I can't quite put my finger on that I don't like. Sutra's version however was bursting with flavors of berry and coconut. The ice cream alone was amazing but they, of course, added an incredible freshly created topping of caramel glazed white peaches made right in front of us in a saucepan.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate a special occasion, or if you are a vegan looking to bring non-vegan (especially those weary of a dinner without meat) somewhere that they are guaranteed to love, you can't go wrong with Sutra. I have a feeling that my next visit won't be able to wait for a special occasion. I'm already ready for my next trip.

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Lauren

Lauren- Between Broadway & 10th on Pike in Capitol Hill.

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