Monday, March 14, 2011
OOTD: Pop of Pink
First off: I'm loving this belt! It is so cheery and so fun!
How was your weekend? Mine was one of those awesome ones where you don't really do anything, but still manage to feel somewhat productive (grocery shopping, laundry, cooking). I also cooked a ton! I made an awesome mac n cheese with smoked cheddar, and a spicy kale lasagna. Then last night we had a friend over and we all love Thai, so we made chicken satay (stay tuned for that recipe). It is one of my favorite meals but we never think to make it! I think I might be part Thai, I could seriously eat it every day and not get tired of it!
This is a short week for me because I am going out of town for the second half of it, so I can face this Monday with cheer and optimism!
Also- who's watching the season finale of The Bachelor tonight! Yeah for guilty tv pleasures!!!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
EBEW: Polka Dots
(Dress: Banana Republic, Sweater: J. Crew, Tights: Hue, Shoes: Mudd)
I had a major hankering for polka dot tights all winter. I never bought any because I didn't see the perfect pair, and all the nearly perfect pairs cost too much! These particular tights became mine this weekend. They had been sitting in a Macys clearance bin for a month or so, marked down to half price, but I still didn't want to pay that. Saturday I price-checked them and they were marked down to $5! Sold! And then my awesome sister used part of her gift card to get them for me!
No more perfect day to debut silver sparkly dots than the polka dot day at Everybody Everywhere! I can't wait to see all the fun polka dot outfits today!
-CC
Monday, March 7, 2011
Imitation
(Shirt: Target, Cardigan and Jeans: Loft, Shoes: Rampage via Ross, Belt: J. Crew)
Well, I straight up hijacked this outfit from one of my favorite bloggers: i believe in unicorns. I truly love reading her blog because she always looks beautiful but relateable. So if you haven't seen her blog yet, go look! Imitation is the truest form of flattery... or something, right?
In other news, today is A and my two year wedding anniversary. It has been a wonderful two years and I can't wait for many more! Here's a wedding picture for you, just for kicks:
Friday, March 4, 2011
Mission: COLOR
(Shirt: Macys, Belt: BCBG, Pants: J. Crew, Shoes: Mudd)
If there's one thing I learned from the remix, it's that I could use more colored shoes and belts. I like this outfit but how fun would it be with red shoes, or even a red necklace for crying out loud. My sister is visiting this weekend and we are hitting the mall! This weekend's shopping (!!!) mission is to find some color! Check back with me next week and wish me luck!
Have a great weekend you guys!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
30x30 Wrap Up
Here's a recap of all 30 outfits, plus a couple cute fillers of the dog:
Most Worn Item: My white and black cardigans, and the gray pencil skirt. No surprise with the staple cardigans, but I am really enjoying the pencil skirts
I became a lot more comfortable with belting things!
I don't feel like I did a great job of remixing the 3 dresses I picked.
I have a ton of ideas for the purple skirt, just with other items in my closet!
I really do like scarves and they really can make the outfit!
I really, really like knowing what I am going to wear every morning. I need to start planning outfits for the week, because my mornings are not lengthy and calm.
I love cognac and brown together! I felt like I was wearing the cognac belt and shoes together every other day, but going back and counting I only wore them 5 times.
Enough random ramblings. Yes, I would do another remix. No, I did not enjoy it the whole time. No shopping was hard at first, but I got used to it. I know that I created outfits I would never have put together without this project (Day 19, 22, and especially 24). Finally, I know I never would have stuck to it without blogging it to keep me accountable. I really want to say thank you for all the nice and encouraging comments!
Good luck to those who are still finishing, and congrats to those who have finished!
-CC
Most Worn Item: My white and black cardigans, and the gray pencil skirt. No surprise with the staple cardigans, but I am really enjoying the pencil skirts
I became a lot more comfortable with belting things!
I don't feel like I did a great job of remixing the 3 dresses I picked.
I have a ton of ideas for the purple skirt, just with other items in my closet!
I really do like scarves and they really can make the outfit!
I really, really like knowing what I am going to wear every morning. I need to start planning outfits for the week, because my mornings are not lengthy and calm.
I love cognac and brown together! I felt like I was wearing the cognac belt and shoes together every other day, but going back and counting I only wore them 5 times.
Enough random ramblings. Yes, I would do another remix. No, I did not enjoy it the whole time. No shopping was hard at first, but I got used to it. I know that I created outfits I would never have put together without this project (Day 19, 22, and especially 24). Finally, I know I never would have stuck to it without blogging it to keep me accountable. I really want to say thank you for all the nice and encouraging comments!
Good luck to those who are still finishing, and congrats to those who have finished!
-CC
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Twenty-nine and THIRTY: Finished!
I'm done! I actually wore these two outfits this weekend but with company visiting I didn't have time to post them!
I am so happy to be finished with this project! I did learn a lot though, and I'll post tomorrow with a recap of all 30 outfits and all the lessons I learned. Until then!
(Shirt: Loft, Skirt: J. Crew, Shoes: Shoe Station)
(Dress: Marshalls, Cardigan: American Eagle, Boots: Kohls)
I am so happy to be finished with this project! I did learn a lot though, and I'll post tomorrow with a recap of all 30 outfits and all the lessons I learned. Until then!
Twenty-eight: Wantin' Ain't Gettin'
(Shirt: J. Crew, Skirt: Gap, Cardigan: American Eagle, Shoes: Shoe Station, Belt: Marshalls, Necklace: Pac Sun)
When I was just a small child, still content with neon shirts and slap bracelets, my mother's co-worker shared with her a phrase that still runs through my head today: Wantin' ain't gettin'. My mom loved this phrase so much it was her go-to response whenever I started ooohing and ahhhing over something at the mall. I hated it then, what teenager wants to hear those words? But I find it popping into my head all the time now when I'm shopping. (Just another sign that I am slowly turning into my mother... which may not be as scary as I once thought) In honor of the sentiment of that phrase, here's a list of items I'm currently wantin'. Some I may eventually get... but only once sales roll around... I'm not a full price kinda girl.
Dorrie Skirt: Yes! Great shape, decent length and I NEED the blue! And the toffee! And the white....
Blowfish Sandbox: The red and white really appeals to me, what do you guys think? Navy and white would probably get a lot more wear. I love these though, in either stripe.
Gingham Sonoma shorts: So adorable. And remixable.
Blowfish Shiloh: I have something similar in gray from Blowfish last year and they always get compliments. Want in whiskey!
I also want some florals and some brightly colored belts!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Twenty-seven: I Heart March
(Shirt: Macys, Jeans: Banana Republic, Scarf: Old Navy, Shoes: Mudd)
March has always been my favorite month of the year, because it is my birthday month! Then, two years ago, A and I got married in March. Also, most years, March hosts the annual science conference I attend, which has gotten even more exciting in the last couple years because it's become like a reunion of all my favorite people from grad school. Oh yeah, and all those fun little birthday coupons stores and restaurants email to me! (World Market, Moes, CVS... yes I get excited about CVS.) Last but not least, March brings warm weather!!! This year February tried to one-up March in that respect but I still expect great, warm, sunny things from my favorite month.
Might as well kick off March with polka dots! I copied this polka dot shirt + polka dot scarf from a magazine, and I am proud of myself, because that's a first, and people in magazines usually look way more put together than I do! On one hand, I like that the colors in this outfit are all dark and similar, and on the other, I also think it would look great with all dark plus a bright red or something.
Happy March everyone!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Twenty-six: Wind and Wrinkles
(Shirt: J. Crew, Skirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: Shoe Station, Belt: Marshalls, Necklace: Thrifted)
Love this outfit! Are you guys tired of seeing my cognac shoes/belt combo? I still love it but I will be glad to be able to wear different shoes come the end of the remix!
It was windy today taking these pictures and you can tell by my hair! You can also tell I took these at the end of the day. The trials of a desk job.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Twenty-five: Some Sequins
(Shirt: Loft, Jeans: Banana Republic, Shoes: Mudd, Scarf: World Market)
Just some quick bright happy yellow sequins to add something special to a dark outfit! Happy Friday!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Twenty-four: Ruffles
(Dress: Belk, Shirt under dress: J. Crew, Cardigan and Belt: J. Crew, Shoes: Mudd)
Look at that grass getting greener! I planned this outfit originally to wear with tights, but since I didn't get around to wearing it til the end of the month, it's now too warm for tights!
I've never worn a shirt under a dress before so it's a first for me! I really like how it turned out!
We have visitors in town this weekend so I'll probably be out of touch until the end of the weekend!
Have a great one!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Twenty-three: I just got a lot cooler...
(Shirt and Cardigan: J. Crew, Skirt: Banana Republic, Shoes: Mudd???)
I got an iphone yesterday you guys! I've never had a smartphone before and I am SO excited to have it. Does anyone have any good (free) apps I should get?
Also those black wedge shoes I wear a LOT are apparently not Steve Madden like I thought. I looked at them for some reason a couple days ago and right there on the sole it says MUDD. They are old shoes and the heel is wearing off but they fit my feet perfectly and they match with everything. But just for you know, for full disclosure, these are not Steve Madden. Oops!
We're halfway through the week!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Twenty-two: Punchy
(Sweater: J. Crew, Shirt: Macys, Jeans: Loft, Similar shoes)
Keeping with the "breaking the rules" theme, my sister and I had a conversation yesterday about her new shoes she got for a steal! I got jealous of her shopping stories! And then she went to Victoria's Secret to use her coupon for a free pair of panties. I have a free coupon too but I have been trying to keep myself out of the mall so I haven't used it yet. So I wondered aloud if using my free panties coupon would count as breaking the shopping ban. She responded, "No way! Besides, that's not a part of your 30 items anyway."
Haha! Can you imagine if Kendi's rules had us including our under garments! Hahaha I think I am getting remix-punchy at this point!
Haha! Can you imagine if Kendi's rules had us including our under garments! Hahaha I think I am getting remix-punchy at this point!
I really liked how this outfit turned out! I can't believe I neglected my polka dots for so long during this remix!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Twentyone: Breaking all the rules
(Dress: Loft, Sweater: J. Crew, Tights: Hue, Boots: Kohls)
This outfit is a perfect example of what I would never have worn before following fashion blogs, before starting my own blog, and especially before the 30x30! I've got all kinds of rule-breakage going on, the whole black and brown together, and my own rule of kinda odd colors worn together (purple and orange). I'm still easing into the colored tights world, but I really like the pop they give to an outfit.
And since I'm breaking rules, and it's Monday, I joined in on Elaine's from Clothed Much Rule Breaking Monday!
Hope you all have a great Monday to start off a great week, and if you have today off, enjoy and I'm jealous!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Twenty: Would you rather?
(Dress: Marshalls, Cardigan and Belt: J. Crew, Shoes: Blowfish)
Today was a beautiful day that we spent inside. We opened all the windows, then I got to work cleaning the house while A was doing our taxes. We both agreed we would rather be cleaning toilets than doing taxes, so I win. Now our taxes are done and the house is (mostly) presentable for my parents to visit next weekend!
I put this on after the cleaning rampage just to run some quick errands.
Hope you are all having a great weekend!
Nineteen: Out and About
Saturday night, A and I went out and about to see a show. I really love this skirt but I haven't worn it much yet in the remix because I feel like it's a little short for work. But seeing these pictures with tights, maybe I'll try it. Only ten outfits left!
Eighteen: Modeling
(Cardigan: American Eagle, Shirt and Jeans: Loft, Boots:Kohls, Belt: Thrifted)
I don't know if you guys noticed, but I am not much of a model! I only feel comfortable in the superman pose, hands on hips. I have been trying to branch out a little and get some new poses but A takes my pictures and we always end up laughing at my attempts. I need advise, y'all. Any pointers?
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Seventeen: And I'm wishin you JOY-OY!
(Shirt: Macys, Skirt: Banana Republic, Cardigan: J. Crew)
Annnnd happinesssssss. My brain won't let go of Valentines! I have had Whitney Houston in my head ALL day. It's a good thing no one else can hear what I sound like singing inside my head because it is not pretty! I can hardly hold it in!
On to the outfit... this polka dot shirt is one I hadn't worn before today (for the remix anyway). I had big plans for remixing this piece but for some reason it's fallen by the wayside... only 12 outfits left so I better start wearing it!
I am surprised I am feeling this way... but I kinda feel like I have more ideas for outfits left than their are days left. I did not expect to feel like that at ALL. Maybe it'll change before day 30.
PS. Crazy how foggy it was this morning!
PPS. ANNNNDDD IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-EEEE-
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Kitchen: Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream Icing
Seriously you guys, I have thought about these cupcakes at least 25 times a day since I made them on Sunday. I told A that I think they are the best thing I have ever made. The chocolate cake is moist (vs dry and crumbly) and the strawberry buttercream is airy and creamy and not too sweet (vs tasting like you're eating straight butter, although that's not always a bad thing). The cake is easy. The icing is a little multi-stepped but in my opinion it is totally worth it.
Side Note: In my (limited) experience, baked goods recipes that have dairy like sour cream or buttermilk in them are always moist and delicious. Does anyone know why this might be? Regardless, I think the buttermilk is key in the cake recipe!
These recipes came from a great food and dessert blog called Pink Parsley. I have made several things from her website and have never been disappointed.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Adapted from Pink Parsley
Makes about 30 cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot expresso (I used powdered expresso to make this)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate cupcake liners into muffin tins.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix the ingredients together over low speed. Add the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well-combined, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully add the coffee and beat on the lowest setting to combine. Remove bowl from the mixer and stir with a rubber spatula until well-combined. The batter is really soupy but it will turn out ok!
Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full, and bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the muffin tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix the ingredients together over low speed. Add the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well-combined, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully add the coffee and beat on the lowest setting to combine. Remove bowl from the mixer and stir with a rubber spatula until well-combined. The batter is really soupy but it will turn out ok!
Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full, and bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in the muffin tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Now for the really good stuff...
Strawberry Swiss-Meringue Buttercream
Adapted from Pink Parsley
Makes about 5 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups diced strawberries
- 4 egg whites
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature
Puree the strawberries in a food processor.
Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer set over a small pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until the sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips). (This takes a while... 10 minutes or more probably.)
Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and fit with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until still (but not dry) peaks form. (Still peaks meaning you can stick a spatula in the icing, pull it out, jiggle it a bit, and the peaks still stand straight up.) Continue mixing until until the mixture is light, fluffy, glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the mixing bowl), about 10 minutes.
With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well between each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, increase the speed to medium, and mix until the buttercream comes together (it can take up to several minutes, but it will come together eventually). Switch to the paddle attachment and beat at medium-low speed to remove air bubbles, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the strawberry puree, and mix to combine.
That's all! I used a piping bag and a Wilton 1M tip to frost mine. But that's another post...
Remix: We're halfway there!
Here is a recap of the first 15 days! Hopefully I have enough steam to get through the second half, but I think I can! Any favorites? I think mine are 7, 9, and 11. I realized today I have a shirt and a dress I haven't worn yet! But don't worry, they're coming!
Sixteen: No Tights!
(Shirt, Cardigan, Skirt: J. Crew, Belt: F21, Shoes: Steve Madden)
Woo hoo! It was beautiful outside today! It made it SO hard to sit inside for a full day of work! A, Bella, and I went on a run around the neighborhood after work and lots of people were outside walking and running. Such a nice time of year when everyone starts heading outside and enjoying the warmth.
I loved this outfit today. All J. Crew, so no wonder. I pretty much want to wear this skirt everyday.
And, here is Bella in her Australian scarf. We got it for her in Australia (of course), and it has the Aussie flag on it. I'm not sure what her expression means in this picture but it was too funny not to share!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Kitchen: Ravioli from scratch
I'm excited for this first kitchen post! A and I made these ravioli last night for Valentines dinner. I had been wanting to make my own pasta for a while and this seemed like a great occasion to try it out.
This recipe is from Joy of Cooking. I got this cookbook for Christmas and I highly recommend it.
This is only a recipe for the pasta. You can fill it with pretty much anything! My filling was just ricotta, parmesan, and salt/pepper.
Also- this recipe involves letting the pasta sit for an hour twice! So it takes a while, just so you know that up front.
Ingredients (there's only 4!):
2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of olive oil
Optional Addition: 1 cup of finely chopped basil (I think this made all the difference to this pasta.)
Mound the flour like a hill and make then press the top down to make a well. (I did this inside a bowl because I didn't trust myself to do it directly on the counter!) Add the other ingredients and beat the eggs lightly with a fork to draw the flour into the wet mixture. As the flour gets incorporated, begin to mix everything together- with your hands (just trusting JOC here!). Blend everything so the dough starts to form. If it's too dry, add some water, if too sticky, add some flour.
Then knead the dough for ten minutes. (Kneading the dough just means pushing it away from you with the heels of your hands, then folding it in half- towards you, and turning it a quarter turn. That's what JOC says anyway!)
After kneading, the dough should be satiny and elastic. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and cover each lightly with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour.
Now you have to roll the dough. Roll it on a well-floured surface. For ravioli, the dough has to be really thin, so thin you can see your hand through it. I couldn't get mine quite that thin (we were hungry!) and it still turned out ok. Roll it out and turn it a quarter turn after you roll a bit. Also, flip it over once in a while too.
Once it's thin, use a pizza cutter to cut a long strip 4 inches wide. Lay the rest of the sheet of pasta on top of the cut strip and cut another one to match. One one sheet of pasta, place a 1/2 tsp of your filling on the pasta. Place the dollops of filling an inch apart down the sheet. The 4 inch sheet of pasta is wide enough to do two lines of dollops. Then, wet your finger with water and trace around each dollop so that the pasta is wet. Then lay the matching sheet of pasta on top, and start pressing the sheets of pasta together, starting at one end and proceeding down to minimize the amount of air that gets trapped in the raviolis. Once everything is pressed down, cut the raviolis with a pizza roller. Set them on a floured cookie sheet, not touching, and let them rest for an hour, flipping them once in a while.
Then- the easy part! Boil some water, put the ravioli in, boil for 7 minutes, drain, and enjoy!
This recipe is from Joy of Cooking. I got this cookbook for Christmas and I highly recommend it.
This is only a recipe for the pasta. You can fill it with pretty much anything! My filling was just ricotta, parmesan, and salt/pepper.
Also- this recipe involves letting the pasta sit for an hour twice! So it takes a while, just so you know that up front.
Ingredients (there's only 4!):
2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of olive oil
Optional Addition: 1 cup of finely chopped basil (I think this made all the difference to this pasta.)
Mound the flour like a hill and make then press the top down to make a well. (I did this inside a bowl because I didn't trust myself to do it directly on the counter!) Add the other ingredients and beat the eggs lightly with a fork to draw the flour into the wet mixture. As the flour gets incorporated, begin to mix everything together- with your hands (just trusting JOC here!). Blend everything so the dough starts to form. If it's too dry, add some water, if too sticky, add some flour.
Then knead the dough for ten minutes. (Kneading the dough just means pushing it away from you with the heels of your hands, then folding it in half- towards you, and turning it a quarter turn. That's what JOC says anyway!)
After kneading, the dough should be satiny and elastic. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and cover each lightly with plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 hour.
Now you have to roll the dough. Roll it on a well-floured surface. For ravioli, the dough has to be really thin, so thin you can see your hand through it. I couldn't get mine quite that thin (we were hungry!) and it still turned out ok. Roll it out and turn it a quarter turn after you roll a bit. Also, flip it over once in a while too.
Once it's thin, use a pizza cutter to cut a long strip 4 inches wide. Lay the rest of the sheet of pasta on top of the cut strip and cut another one to match. One one sheet of pasta, place a 1/2 tsp of your filling on the pasta. Place the dollops of filling an inch apart down the sheet. The 4 inch sheet of pasta is wide enough to do two lines of dollops. Then, wet your finger with water and trace around each dollop so that the pasta is wet. Then lay the matching sheet of pasta on top, and start pressing the sheets of pasta together, starting at one end and proceeding down to minimize the amount of air that gets trapped in the raviolis. Once everything is pressed down, cut the raviolis with a pizza roller. Set them on a floured cookie sheet, not touching, and let them rest for an hour, flipping them once in a while.
Then- the easy part! Boil some water, put the ravioli in, boil for 7 minutes, drain, and enjoy!
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