May 16, 2012

inspired by iron chef, sunday night turned into a battle with paul and that battle was pizza. it was definitely a bit intimidating when he said we should make our own dough but it turned out to be a fun project. not to say it was easy and quick. the dough takes about an 1-1.5 hours to settle until you can start making your pie but once that’s done the process is pretty simple.

for my pie i choose to work with classic ingredients: fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and basil. i’ve gotta say it’s probably the best thin crust pizza i’ve had in chicago since i moved here but nothing compared to a slice in new york at john’s. 

pizza dough

new york style pizza sauce

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Filed under: pizza iron chef 
May 14, 2012
yesterday was mother’s day and i was sad i couldn’t be in new york to celebrate this year. mother’s day for my family usually consists of a large spread of lox and bagels with plenty of desserts to top off the meal.  in honor of the holiday and all the wonderful mother’s out there, this week’s inspiration is my mom. although i couldn’t be there yesterday to show my appreciation i’m lucky enough to have this beautiful drawing of my mom from my grandma hang in my hallway so i can see her everyday.

yesterday was mother’s day and i was sad i couldn’t be in new york to celebrate this year. mother’s day for my family usually consists of a large spread of lox and bagels with plenty of desserts to top off the meal. 

in honor of the holiday and all the wonderful mother’s out there, this week’s inspiration is my mom. although i couldn’t be there yesterday to show my appreciation i’m lucky enough to have this beautiful drawing of my mom from my grandma hang in my hallway so i can see her everyday.

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Filed under: mother’s day inspiration board 
April 23, 2012
it was my post on halloween that i talked about how i was shocked to see no one in orange. i didn’t know that my desire to see this fruitful color would become one of the most popular shades of the spring season. to some, it may still be scary to wear from head to toe so i suggest testing out the waters with nail polish or jewelry. for the more adventurous try a blazer or go all out with a dress in this hot hue.  orange picks under $75: rainy day flats skinny pintuck pant stripe dress

it was my post on halloween that i talked about how i was shocked to see no one in orange. i didn’t know that my desire to see this fruitful color would become one of the most popular shades of the spring season. to some, it may still be scary to wear from head to toe so i suggest testing out the waters with nail polish or jewelry. for the more adventurous try a blazer or go all out with a dress in this hot hue. 

orange picks under $75:

rainy day flats

skinny pintuck pant

stripe dress

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Filed under: orange inspiration board trend 
April 18, 2012

a warm wednesday after work calls for champagne cocktails. i always have kettle one on hand in the freezer but it’s not yet friday so i thought i should water it down with sparkling wine and fresh fruit. four simple ingredients and a shaker was all i needed. you can find a similar recipe here.

keeping it brief this hump day. happy almost thursday!

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Filed under: cocktails champagne hump day 
April 16, 2012
april is definitely a month of transitional wear. here in chicago the weather doesn’t seem to want to make up its mind and with the strong winds currently, there’s still quite a chill in the air. sweaters are the perfect go to piece in your wardrobe for these types of days. i only have so many pullover sweaters so after the winter months i’ve grown tired and bored of my choices. peter pan collars have been trending recently. since debuting in the early 20th century, these collars have most definitely evolved. from black studs to white pearls, this trend can add some spice to your tired sweater collection and reinvent the preppy crew. so this week’s inspiration is the collar. you can buy these from thrift, vintage, etsy or a major retail stores. collars are everywhere now and make for a quick and fun way to add both dimension and personality to your outfit. they’re especially good for the transitional blah days of late. :) peter pan collars under $40: lace chiffon bow pearl beaded

april is definitely a month of transitional wear. here in chicago the weather doesn’t seem to want to make up its mind and with the strong winds currently, there’s still quite a chill in the air. sweaters are the perfect go to piece in your wardrobe for these types of days. i only have so many pullover sweaters so after the winter months i’ve grown tired and bored of my choices.

peter pan collars have been trending recently. since debuting in the early 20th century, these collars have most definitely evolved. from black studs to white pearls, this trend can add some spice to your tired sweater collection and reinvent the preppy crew.

so this week’s inspiration is the collar. you can buy these from thrift, vintage, etsy or a major retail stores. collars are everywhere now and make for a quick and fun way to add both dimension and personality to your outfit. they’re especially good for the transitional blah days of late. :)

peter pan collars under $40:

lace

chiffon bow

pearl

beaded

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Filed under: collars inspiration board trend preppy 
April 4, 2012

walking through the grocery store on sunday has become routine. i start with the fresh produce aisle, move on to the deli counter and finish with the dairy aisle and maybe a magazine at check out. i seem to stick to the same list of items every week. but this week i noticed the spaghetti squash piled high and thought why not support my boyfriend in his fight against carbs?

i attempted this martha stewart recipe and it was pretty simple and came out great. you can hardly tell the difference when substituting spaghetti with squash. this meal will most definitely be made again, who needs pasta anyways?

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March 21, 2012

spring is in the air, well lately in chicago it’s felt more like summer with temperatures well into the 80s. out of the four seasons, spring may have to be my favorite. there’s just something about that first warm breeze in the morning that has you long for those perfect jacket weather days to never end. unfortunately, it seems to be the most fleeting of the four with either winter flurries making an appearance in april or summer heat blowing in as early as march like as of late.

I left chicago for miami wearing my heavy down jacket and came back with no need to wear it and I may never have to look back until next year. i’m in no way complaining about this heat wave because it is pretty amazing. as this being my first year in chicago, I truly lucked out this winter but I’m really hoping mother nature doesn’t overlook spring.

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March 19, 2012
i’ve been gone too long but i’m back. i was in miami last weekend, got back to chicago and came back to summer. today is the last day of winter but it sure felt like we’ve already skipped spring.  fortunately the weather report shows some cooler (more springlike) temperatures in the days ahead.  the racks in the stores are definitely in full spring mode. i took a walk yesterday through a few shops and noticed that bouclé was everywhere. i’ve always been a fan of this fabric whether its on a shoe, a bag or an article of clothing. bouclé adds instant chic to any outfit. perhaps it has something to do with the iconic chanel jacket but there’s just no doubt that it’s timeless. so this week’s inspiration is a touch of bouclé. this rich luxe textile is a must-have this season in any form of your choice and remember it doesn’t have to be chanel to be chic. bouclé looks for under $129: short-sleeved top blazer mini

i’ve been gone too long but i’m back. i was in miami last weekend, got back to chicago and came back to summer. today is the last day of winter but it sure felt like we’ve already skipped spring.  fortunately the weather report shows some cooler (more springlike) temperatures in the days ahead. 

the racks in the stores are definitely in full spring mode. i took a walk yesterday through a few shops and noticed that bouclé was everywhere. i’ve always been a fan of this fabric whether its on a shoe, a bag or an article of clothing. bouclé adds instant chic to any outfit. perhaps it has something to do with the iconic chanel jacket but there’s just no doubt that it’s timeless.

so this week’s inspiration is a touch of bouclé. this rich luxe textile is a must-have this season in any form of your choice and remember it doesn’t have to be chanel to be chic.

bouclé looks for under $129:

short-sleeved top

blazer

mini

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Filed under: boucle chanel inspiration board 
February 20, 2012
today (president’s day) was a day off work for most. i have to say having monday off is one of those simple pleasures in life. not only is it a three day weekend but it’s a four day work week ahead.  it was a gorgeous one in chicago today so i got out of the house to browse a few stores and noticed that stripes are still strong for spring, especially red and white. there’s something very classic yet simple about stripes. they may be a bit haunting for some but it’s all about the size of the stripe that matters. it’s also not limited to a shirt or dress. stripes are great for scarves, handbags and small accessories - just don’t go overboard, no one wants to look like a walking flag! i put together a few items and threw in some stripes for an outfit i find perfect for spring. so for this week’s inspiration and in the spirit of this patriotic holiday, i’m in the market for stripes this season. now stars, that’s another question… pieces from the above look under $100: striped tee cigarette jeans faux leather jacket

today (president’s day) was a day off work for most. i have to say having monday off is one of those simple pleasures in life. not only is it a three day weekend but it’s a four day work week ahead. 

it was a gorgeous one in chicago today so i got out of the house to browse a few stores and noticed that stripes are still strong for spring, especially red and white. there’s something very classic yet simple about stripes. they may be a bit haunting for some but it’s all about the size of the stripe that matters. it’s also not limited to a shirt or dress. stripes are great for scarves, handbags and small accessories - just don’t go overboard, no one wants to look like a walking flag!

i put together a few items and threw in some stripes for an outfit i find perfect for spring. so for this week’s inspiration and in the spirit of this patriotic holiday, i’m in the market for stripes this season. now stars, that’s another question…

pieces from the above look under $100:

striped tee

cigarette jeans

faux leather jacket

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Filed under: inspiration board stripes president’s day 
February 6, 2012
the lbd aka the little black dress is the most versatile thing you own. i know i talk about color but you can never go wrong with black. although sometimes i do love to dress head to toe in black (which can be done right with the right combination of texture and dimensions) there’s something about adding the right accents to a black dress that make it stand out. this week’s inspiration is this never go wrong piece because simplicity is sometimes key, it’s the added details that count. here are few pieces that i love and can be worn from day to night. speaking of day to night below are some great options for under $100. for work for play for any day as coco chanel said “a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” i believe that’s what she was thinking when she designed the lbd.

the lbd aka the little black dress is the most versatile thing you own. i know i talk about color but you can never go wrong with black. although sometimes i do love to dress head to toe in black (which can be done right with the right combination of texture and dimensions) there’s something about adding the right accents to a black dress that make it stand out. this week’s inspiration is this never go wrong piece because simplicity is sometimes key, it’s the added details that count.

here are few pieces that i love and can be worn from day to night. speaking of day to night below are some great options for under $100.

for work

for play

for any day

as coco chanel said “a girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.” i believe that’s what she was thinking when she designed the lbd.

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Filed under: lbd little black dress inspiration board 
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