My Halloween Costume

Is my favorite dessert.  Can you guess it? 

image via

 image via hlovee

 image via

Yep!  I'm going to be a S'More for Halloween!

Pictures will be posted on Twitter.

Follow me!

Dancing Branflake Dinner Party Chez Moi!

Welcome to my home!  This week's dinner party will be hosted at a quaint little home in California where the trees are orange, the sky is blue, and the food is fresh.  After dinner we can take a walk around the lake or just sit on the dock drinking creamy hot chocolate.  Just click on the links for recipes, image credits, and shopping information.

 The Decor

The Menu

is full of Branflake favorites.

Baked Brie with Honey and Pecans is definitely a staple here

As well as Steak and Golden Garlic Fries

 Perfectly baked Souffled Macaroni and Cheese
is a nice twist of the classic version.

Panzanella Caprese Salad

is the only salad Mr. Branflake will eat.

He will do anything if I even mention chocolate cake.
Homemade frosting is a must!

The Playlist
is fun and full of 60's British pop.

image


What I'm Wearing

I am donning Anthropologie's newest arrival, the Belvedere Sheath,
to celebrate my awesome guests (that's you!)

I think the dress begs for cowboy boots
and I am loving these Anthropologie Maple Wood ones.

The Favor 

 Take home some yummy fall caramel apples and 

enjoy the rest of your stay in California.

Would you like to host a Dancing Branflake Dinner Party?

Email me a photo of your dining room, apartment, or home and

I'll feature it for the series and link it to your blog.

All you have to do is email me a photo and I'll take care of the rest.

I can't wait to see where you live!

My email: tiffkaddy at hotmail dot com

An iPhone Photo Shoot

The amazing photographer Tom Huynh and I took a walk around downtown yesterday so that he could play around with his new iPhone 4 camera.  He is accustomed to photographing the most beautiful women so I definitely need to watch America's Next Top Model to get some Tyra tips before our real photo shoot happens.

I couldn't help but smile!  It was so weird just staring into the camera and not smiling.

I am hoping to get in the studio with him some time next week for a photo shoot with his "real" camera.   Also, see the photos Tom took of my fellow dancers here. 

Aren't iPhones amazing?

For those who voted, I actually got a Droid.

Now I kind of want an iPhone.

Fairytale Pumpkins

I am loving Trader Joe's right now!

Because we all wish our pumpkins will turn into a glittering chariot and take us to the ball.

Did you buy your pumpkin yet?

eShakti

Remember my friend, Stephanie, who made me Nutella filled croissants?  Well, she recently told me about eShakti, and I am in LOVE!  The site has the cutest dresses and for a mere $7.50 you can customize all you want.  I am always on the lookout for dresses with sleeves and longer hem lengths so this site is a dream come true.

Check out their take on my new favorite kind of dress- the mock two piece.  So flattering and perfect for the office or a night out with the girls.

Have you ordered from eShakti?    

Have you ever gotten something custom made from anywhere?

Any tips for a newbie custom buyer?

Beautiful Wedding: Green

Loving the bright kelly green contrasted with the deep brown.  Photos from Cynthia and Josh's wedding (I went to high school with the bride) taken by one of my favorite photographers, Susan Yee from En Pointe Photography (with whom I also went to high school). 

I also love the street signs, which are actual streets in Sacramento, where we all grew up.

I love that their engagement photos carried on the green theme.

Green through and through!

Green for a wedding?  I like it!

18 After 18

There's a number of things I did as a kid that I have always wanted to do as an adult.  I call it my 18 After 18 list.   Because I don't have children and also because adulthood is so, well, adulty, I was shocked at how  many cool things my adult self has yet to experience.  This list begs the question: Why did I stop being a kid? 

My 18 After 18 List:

~Go to the zoo

~Watch a movie at the drive-in

~Go ice skating

~Carve a pumpkin

~Go skiing

~Travel to France

~Watch Saturday morning cartoons, alone, with a bowl of cereal

~Blow bubbles in my milk

~ Practice my signature just to, you know, practice it.

~Drink a 7-11 Cherry Supersized Slurpee

~Take a tour of an ice cream factory

~ 3 way phone call with my best friends

~Have a birthday party with a theme, presents, and live entertainment

~Visit a real castle

~Dress up for Halloween

~Go to Apple Hill

~See a professional basketball game

~Horseback ride on the beach

I tag everyone that wants to do this to make their own  
18 After 18 list.  
Let me know if you've done it so we can be 18 After 18 buddies!
And here's a Dancing Branflake 18 After 18 button to use on your blog post (you know, if you want).

ALSO!
I am guest blogging today over at Little Girl, Big World while Ashleigh is on a mini vacay.
The post is about a very Branflake moment that makes me smile just thinking about it.  See it here.

PS... What happened to tonight's dinner party?  It will resume next Friday.  I have some very special things planned.

Performance Photos: Meet the Dancers

The Crocker Art Museum performance was set in two parts.  For the first part the museum asked us to be human pieces of art and do slow movement installations throughout the museum.  There were thousands of people attending this opening and they all loved taking pictures of us as we slowly moved in fancy dresses and heels.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the dancers of Dangerous Lorraines Dance Theater:

Melisa

Amy

Cassandra

Windy

Katie

Co-Director Melissa

Katie

Co-Director Lorelei

Me

Part II: We took the stage and it was incredible!!!

It was such an honor to be a part of this amazing event. I spent a pretty penny in the gift shop so that I could remember this experience forever (you know, puzzles, shirts, post cards, and totes). Thank you to all who came and supported me.  It was a magical.

Important Note:
All these photos were done by Tom Huynh.  I am excited because Tom and I will be doing a photo shoot together soon and even though he is incredibly shy he has also agreed to a Dancing Branflake interview where he will give tips on how to photograph and how to be photographed.  I can't wait!

Pushing Myself Physically

 image via She Flies With Her Own Wings

Yesterday's post about "Desire to Take Flight" spurred an incredible amount of many amazing comments.  I really need to post them as part of a quote series or something.  You guys are so inspirational!

This piece, which is a quartet, is the hardest piece I have ever had to perform and I love that I have an opportunity to fully extend myself just like the title implies.

If you want to see "Desire to Take Flight" in person we are performing it this Saturday in Davis, CA. Dangerous Lorraines Dance Theater and three other dance companies will be presenting choreographic works in a performance called Dance As Is. 

And tomorrow I'll be posting photos from the Crocker Art Museum performance.  They are incredible!

Have an awesome dancing day!

Are You Free?

I am currently learning a work entitled "Desire to Take Flight".  The story behind it comes from the choreographer's two birds who, after years of being in a bird cage, finally figured out how to pick the lock from the inside and open their cage door.  What did they do with their new found freedom?

They just sat on top of the cage.  That's it.  It makes me think about freedom and what we do to get it and what we do when we finally have it.  When we have opportunities do we take them and fly or do we stay near our comfort zone?  

I say today we take a risk and venture to new possibilities. 

You deserve it!

 images via Evelina Boivie

When It Rains On Your Wedding Day

This kid is too cute!

In celebration of the recent rain:
I love these photos taken by En Pointe Photography  extraordinaire, Susan Yee.  Susan and I went to high school together and when we met up (ahem, from Facebook), I soon discovered that she is seriously one talented person and has even been featured in bridal magazines.  Amazingly enough, there are talks of me doing a photo shoot with Susan.  I can't wait!

If you like this, check out her amazing trash the dress shoots.

Do you love the rain as much as I do?

Time to bring out the hot cocoa and Coach umbrella!

Macaroon Sandwich

These look so yummy and perfect for a nice afternoon dessert with the gals.

And, yes, that is mascarpone in the middle.

Recipe via bbcgoodfood.com

A Colorful Dancing Branflake Dinner Party

This week's dinner party is full of color.  What better way to encourage conversation, smiles, and a fun time than some color therapy?

The Decor

is fun, colorful, and welcoming.  

Just like this dinner party.

 image via Elle Decor

The Menu

is full of nature's beautiful colors. 

 Start off dinner with this colorful Baby Greens with Roasted Beets and Potatoes.

 Butternut Squash Cappellacci with Sage and Brown Butter

 I think these Cinderella Carrots are incredible, and intriguing!

 Wouldn't you love to try these potatoes with cheese sauce?

I can't believe this is the natural color. 

 

This cake has been making the internet rounds 

and I can't help but include it in this dinner party.

The Music

is by the most colorful music group ever.

image via

What I'm Wearing

makes me happy just looking at it.

How can you not have a fun time in this Kate Spade Sketchpad Elyse Dress?

 Add on the color with this festive bracelet from Forever 21.

  I am in love with these Rachel Roy red heels.

The Favor

 Wrap these Stained-Glass Teardrop Cookies up 

in colorful cellophane topped with a big red bow.

Have a colorful day!