Monday Inspiration

As I draw nearer to my looming college graduation, I've gained a lot of motivation to find inspiration in everything. I'm trying to dress up for class more, I'm running again, yoga feels more rewarding, and the green tea just warms so much more than before. 

In light of this, I wanted to share a few tads that I hope will inspire you in this coming week. 

Simple silhouette and some bright yellow

Some fun neutrals

The mantra I'm choosing to live by this week, if only some other people would follow this. 

I'm keeping an eye out for the right pair of patterned skinnies.

love.

shorts, slouchy sweater and head scarf.

Zara.

I'm in love with these shorts. 

An almost perfect color combo, I would trade the purple shoes for orange or yellow. 

Perfect on every level. 

All photos from my pinterest board and the pinterest universe. 

I'm clearly dreaming of shorts weather!! Summer, come quick!!

Seattle Dreaming

There are many things I miss about home. Some things I miss specifically about my parents' house. The food, the drinks, the wine maker's atmosphere, my dogs. Others are things I miss about the city, and also the free time of summer, which I would spend going for long bike rides, when it wasn't raining, of course.

I thought I would share of a piece of my Seattle sanctuary with you all. 

Having a full length mirror and a job that promotes fashion. 

Long bike rides on this sexy beast, and destroying my leggies with pain.

Kafe Neo and their amazing chicken souvlaki and to die for greek fries. 

This little love bug.

My mom's perfectly seasonal and healthy creations. Those amazing dinners that she whips up when she 'doesn't feel like cooking'. A random mix of fish ceviche and beet and feta salad. 

This gem.

Those bright but somehow still cloudy summer days that are oh-so Seattle. 

Aperol Spritz via my daddy. The perfect blend of blood orange liqueur, bitters and prosecco- I highly recommend it. 

My equally delicious (and colorful) 'day off' concoction- tequila, orange juice, cranberry juice, sparkling water and a touch of creme of coconut for some added sweetness. A great lunch time drink on a hot day, as long as you're not driving anywhere. 

The early evening dopio, they just don't seem as elegant here, sigh. 

What's keeping me on the arrow is the knowledge that I'll see all of these things (and then some) in a few weeks. Also, the thought of graduation, so near, yet so far. 

Gluten Free Dinner -Dos

Today's dinner was all Alex's idea, and it was a dang good one!

He made white cheddar burgers wrapped in lettuce and they were sooooo yummy! 

He always makes the best burgers. I don't know how he does it. I even do all of the seasonings for him when he has meat hands from mixing the ingredients, and I still could never make burgers as perfect as his. So I'll give you secret ingredients, but don't expect the same luscious results. 

Ground beef, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning salt and Worcestershire sauce, all mixed together in Alex's super secret method, then cooked to perfect. Throw on some aged sharp white cheddar cheese, then when it's all done, wrap that baby up in a few layers of lettuce. 

You may need some moist towelettes after this one, they're so good, you'll feel dirty. 

But that's ok, some fat is good for you--- its the carbs that hurt. 

Gluten Free Dinner

Like any good Catholic, I've given up something for Lent. I didn't give up coffee, cookies, candy or chocolate like most people do. Oh no. That's not my style. I gave up gluten. 100%. This is partially because I want to celebrate my religious tradition by making it a challenge for myself, which is the whole purpose of the tradition and the other part of this decision was to see how my body would react. 

I've always had nasty stomach pains and bloating, for as long as I can remember. I've been checked for celiac but my doc said it was a no go, but he also said that a majority of people are intolerant to gluten, not to the point of celiac, but to the point of the inexplicable IBS, which he also said was probably the cause of all of my discomfort. 

Nasty topics aside, I have been experimenting in the kitchen and have come up with a few wonderful and delicious items that will make not only your tummy, but also the rest of your body, happy. What is also great about the gluten free lifestyle, is what it does to your waistline. Gluten is in anything wheat or bread-like. Anything with flour in it has this nasty stuff. Eliminating flour essentially eliminates the majority of the carbohydrates we consume. I've said it before and I'll say it again-- Carbs make us fat! 

So let's get started with a fresh and filling meal! You won't even miss the gluten!

Chicken & Vegetable Soup with Strawberry Chocolate Smoothie

This soup is super easy:

Heat a pot of water till it's boiling, add some chicken base (Better than Bouillon) and mix in along with some salt/pepper and any other seasonings. Chop up some carrots and throw those in the pot. Five minutes later, add some chopped celery. While this is cooking away, cook up some boneless/skinless chicken breats. Season that with salt/pepper and safflower oil. I use this instead of olive oil because it's a more neutral flavor and also is proven to help shrink fat cells! Once the chicken is done, chop it up and throw it in the pot along with some chopped zucchini. Once all the veggies are cooked through and you've adjusted your seasonings (I used a dash of italian seasoning and some celery salt) you're done!! 

It's healthy, super yummy and gluten free!! 

The smoothie is even more easy:

Blend together one scoop of chocolate protein powder, spoonful of flaxseed peanut butter, frozen strawberries and almond milk. Yum yum. If you happen to find that you've accidentally poured some rum in your smoothie, well, oops.... and let me know how it turns out!! 

You'll need to unbutton your pants after this dinner, but not in the badly bloated way, in the 'I just filled up on veggies and protein and I feel GOOD!'- way.

Happy healthy eating!!

<3 b

Jewelry Storage

If you're into fashion like I am, you have probably accumulated more jewelry than you know what to do with, like I have. I have necklaces and bracelets that I completely forget even exist. It's ridiculous. 

I've been going through this constant dilemma of trying to figure out the best way to store jewelry. They're pieces that you want to show off, but hanging necklaces on a blank wall can look cluttered and not at all organized.  You would think that a jewelry box is a good idea, but those are just a wilderness for your stuff, you're just ASKING for a tangled mess every time you try to find the one necklace you want. 

While searching through the internet, I came across a few cool DIYs for tiered cupcake platters, and I finally exclaimed "This is it!!!"

Behold. 

A perfectly organized, eye-appealing, tangle preventing jewelry holder. It can go on your dresser, nightstand, in your bathroom. You can paint it any color you wish with any texture you wish. You can use whatever type of plates you can find. The possibilities are endless. 

I told you I was super glue happy. 

If you're not daring enough to make one of these yourself, allow me to help. With a small-ish fee, I will make one for you and ship it to you. I am considering setting up an Etsy store for these and some other crafty things, but for now I'll settle for email orders and praying to God that people will actually send me checks. 

If you're interested in buying one, please email me at bdarnell1990@gmail.com 

Please specify how many tiers you want (ex: picture above has 3 tiers. If you want 2 tiers, specify large/medium or small/medium or small/large--- for the size plates you want.) Also, specify what color you want, if any at all. 

<3 b

Dirty Quesadilla

Ever have one of those days when you just want to eat something hot and melty and crunchy and gooey? 

Yes, you have. 

I have the perfect, and easiest recipe for when you're in that mood. 

It's called the Dirty Quesadilla and it's the most filthy thing you'll ever eat. 

1 Tortilla, some slices of Mozzarella cheese, a few slices of avocado, some canned sweet onion chili. Heat in pan with cooking spray until cheese is melted and tortilla is crispy.

You dirty thing, you. 

<3 b

Crafty Chick

A few DIYs for your crafting pleasure. 

I stumbled upon some amazing fiery red feathers at my local TriState. It's sort of a hunting/fishing/outdoors/sporting goods/ hardware store. I love buying colorful feathers from fly fishing shops-- the employees rarely see women. With these feathers, I intended to decorate a patent black clutch that I have. However, in my indecisiveness, I realized I would rather paint one side of this clutch rather than feather it. So off to the store to find another cheap black clutch. 

I immediately headed to Rue 21 (Forever 21 for the Jersey Shore, basically) they normally have some decent bags on sale for super cheap. There, I found a basic black envelope clutch, with attached studded wrist cuff, so you'll never lose your bag in your drunkenness. Believe it or not, this bag was only $1... score! I picked up another one too, a bronze fold-over number that I plan on adding some pale orange glitter to.

The first thing I did was take off that awful cuff. The second thing consisted of getting in touch with my inner feathery friend. With the help of some super glue and a trip to the craft store, I came up with this. 

I added some tiny mirrors to highlight the envelope shape, and a simple jewelry chain as a strap. All I did with the chain was knot the ends to a length of my liking, slide it through an existing loop and under the flap. I plan to secure it with some super glue in the future. 

My second DIY is way easier than the first. Cell phone case + glass tiles = beautiful. All you need is super glue. 

It's not hard, or expensive to add a little bit of color and texture to your otherwise boringly black accessories .

Happy crafting! 

<3 b