Here Comes the Bride

Well readers, I apologize for the prolonged silence. Finals week and the Holidays tend to do that to me. There is some very exciting news that I haven't had a chance to share with you yet, for certain reasons. My dear Alex and I are getting MARRIED!!

That had to have been a huge surprise, I'm guessing the title didn't give it away at all.

Anyway, we told my parents over Thanksgiving break, they reacted about the same as I expected. Their input is definitely valuable to me, but they have never once said 'Do what makes you happy', so I have had learn to always tell myself that. Alex makes me so unbelievably happy, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is the most perfect man, and the ultimate companion to share the rest of my life with. We truly are best friends, and when I see other engaged couples together, I just can't help but think 'They totally aren't as cute, or close or perfectly matched as we are.' His love has made me truly believe in soul mates. We are planning for the wedding to take place in Summer 2014. It seems so far away, but then I remembered all of the planning I have to do... and finding a dress!! Eek, it's more than enough to freak a girl out.

Lucky for me (well, I hope I'm lucky) Nordstrom, my dear, dear Nordstrom, my former (hopefully future) employer, my happy place, my go-to shopping destination, is doing a bridal giveaway involving Pinterest. Basically, you sign up, then pin from their boards with the hashtag #Nordstromweddings. I'm a pretty mean pinner myself, so hopefully this important, rare talent of mine will bring me success, and way closer to a gorgeous Vera Wang gown.

For those interested, check out this site for the specifics. And if you win, let's go halvsies on the prize, ok?

much love, b

DIY Versa Wrap

This is the easiest DIY in the world, and possibly the most useful. You can wear this wrap as a scarf, shirt, vest, poncho, belted over a tank, probably even a dress. I haven't played with it long enough to discover all of it's uses, but I highly recommend that you make one. 

First you need some cool fabric. Two yards of it. 

Now that that is established, fold your fabric in half like a hamburger. Folded side should be on the left, as shown here. 

Now, cute a slit through both layers of fabric, exactly where I placed my scissors in the above picture. The slit should be about 7 inches long and parallel to the folded side.

Now you have a wrap! It's pretty long, don't worry, I'll show you how to wear it shorter, it's long for the purpose of being an awesome scarf!! 

To wear as a shorter vest or cardi, tie the long corners together and put the knot behind your neck. 

Yay!!

It's a really fun layering piece! 

Happy Styling!

<3 b

Seattle Special

Ah Seattle, such a beautiful, relaxing, chic and cool city. She has stolen my heart, and though I may not spend the rest of my life there, it will always be a home to me. Seattle fashion never seems to go out of style. It is most commonly brought to life during fall and winter when layering is the go-to in order to stay warm. However recently, the grunge theme is hitting the scene, being mixed with girly dresses, bows, flowers, tulle to create a style very unique to the individual.

This is the Seattle Style Layering Special. 

If you're planning a trip to my hometown, like my friend Cari is, here is the list of items I recommend you pack:

Leggings/dark skinny jeans

Boots/riding boots/hiking boots/snow boots/rain boots

Wool socks to wear with boots

Basic long sleeve tshirts

chunky knit sweater 

open sweater

blazer

thick printed scarf

long rain/trench coat

Little black dress

DIY versa wrap

Vest

nice skirt

tights

dressier shoes (something suede/matte leather for this time of year) 

These pieces will give you plenty of versatility for layering. This time of year in Seattle is typically cold and clear, so rain might not actually be a problem. However, it is Seattle, so the weather is unpredictable. For a rain jacket, I would suggest an anorak. They're casual enough to wear over fleece or a sweatshirt with jeans and nice enough to wear over a dress and still look great. You can find one here for a great price. If you're looking for something a little nicer like a trench try this one. Both are a STEAL at under $50 and you'll soon realize that it's something you can wear with everything! To ensure a long life for your new coat, I would recommend taking a can of Scotch Guard to it.

Finally, here is some inspiration! 

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Happy Traveling and Happy Styling! 

<3 b 

Leather Leggings and Full Skirts

I love saying this:

I told you so. I've been saying since July 2011, that leather leggings were going to be HUGE, and they would stick around for a while. A year later, I am proud to announce they are barely at their peak. We used to only be able to find the $2000 butter soft Vince leggings, but NOW we can find them reasonably priced in places like Forever 21 and even Hot Topic. Don't worry, I checked them out and they don't come pre-safety pinned (thank God). If you buy a pair, I would recommend trying one of those places. I bought mine at American Apparel and am sad to say that the coating does not last long, giving them the unwanted 'distressed' look, which doesn't boast well when you're trying to pull them off as real leather. 

These are a very versatile piece, so I have gathered a few styling options for your copy-catting pleasure. 

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I'll admit to my own miss on this one. I've just recently become awe-inspired by the details and simplicity and sheer versatility of skirts. I'm more of a 'fancy outfit with jeans girl, but I'm becoming so much more girly-- oh dear. So I did not call it on the new full skirt trend, sorry folks. However, I would like to add that our mothers must be SO proud. Let's make a pact girls, let's strive to leave something up to the imagination. As we have all heard before:

"Your dresses should be tight enough to show you're a woman, but loose enough to show you're a lady."

Edith Head

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I hope this has given you some inspiration for daring and darling fall/winter trends.

Happy Styling! 

<3 b

Mexican Chocolate Heaven

I obviously have some exams coming up, why else would I be blogging like a fiend?? 

So I have this problem, when I get hungry every two hours, sometimes every hour, often every half hour. 

I'm basically always hungry. I probably eat like 3000 calories a day. 

Anyway, I just made the most amazing creation!!!

What is it?!?! 

It's MEXICAN CHOCOLATE HEAVEN

That's what it is. Or it's just Vanilla Greek yogurt, cinnamon and dark chocolate syrup that I stirred the crap out of so it's a really smooth texture. 

I couldn't just call it yogurt, that's boring. 

A Review: ChocoVine

I'm all for creative ideas. 

Hell, I get crazy if I don't have some sort of craft project going on. 

I'm also all for trying new things.

So when I saw THIS at my local Winco....

...I just HAD to.

My main purpose of this experiment was to have another bottle in the wine aisle to make fun of. But I'm still undecided whether or not I'll actually do this.

Here are my thoughts:

There is no wine in this. It says 'The taste of dutch chocolate and fine red wine' Dutch chocolate? yes, fine red wine? no. Red wine? no. Wine?? Nope.

I think there's actually vodka in this!!

WHY?!?

Because it tastes EXACTLY like the chocolate martinis my mom and I are obsessed with at the martini bar we go to in Mexico. So either, ChocoVine is bottling Cabo's chocolate martini awesomeness, or our favorite  martini bar is serving us bottled chocolate wine and calling it a martini!!

Now, I wouldn't make such harsh accusations if I wasn't completely certain that the alcohol content of this 'wine' is actually derived from fermented potatoes. Because I'm quite certain it is. Wine just doesn't have that alcoholic taste that this stuff has. And I'm not stating these claims because I'm having a vodka effect vs. a wine effect. I mean, this is coming from the girl who doesn't even drink anymore. (other than wine, like once a month, and a marg, like, once every three months) But seriously, I've had like an ounce of this, and it's not wine. I mean, those people in Holland might just be tricking us Americans... Holland isn't exactly known for their wine. I might have Alex call them to investigate this further-- he's fluent in Dutch. (A man of many talents)

IN CONCLUSION: If you like chocolate martinis, by all means, get this stuff. That's exactly what it is. If you were hoping for something a little more wino-ish, you won't find it here.

Will I make fun of it? Probably. Will I still buy it if I'm on my period? Absolutely.

Happy Drinking! umm, err... what??

<3 b

Turkey pre-Turkey Day

Every day I learn something new about Alex. It's normally just another food that he doesn't like. 

I know, ME with a PICKY EATER?? I can't believe it either... 

This is the girl who eats raw oysters off the half shell, orders an elk burger at Deschutes in Portland, dips bacon in sea salt caramel gelato (I have to give Alex credit for this one, he's a genius) I could live off of figs an bleu cheese, I will inhale seafood of any kind, I will choose affogato over almost any other dessert (look it up) I've tried escargot-and liked it, and I laugh when my friends make their own spaghetti sauce and call it gourmet (for real?) or when people go to Black Angus and say their steak was really good (for real???) OR when people open a bottle of Barefoot wine and think its GOOD? FOR REAL? 

I apologize if I'm being pretentious, I just really really appreciate good food. 

But since I'm stuck with him (quite happily I might add) I'm just going to put up with it and try to make him happy with my cooking. 

But I can't help but get in a glint in my eye and think 'challenge accepted' every time he tells me some sort of food he doesn't like. 

This is only slightly evil. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to please her man and also still eat the foods she likes.

Or in this case, the foods that are better for her waistline.

So I developed the ultimate Turkey Burger!

Alex hates turkey... maybe I can tell him it's pork??

What you'll need:

ground turkey

herbs de Provence

coriander

garlic powder

salt & pepper

spinach

garlic

hot sauce

light mayonnaise

artichoke hearts

mozzarella 

Mix turkey with herbs, coriander, garlic powder and salt & pepper, mix well and cook in a pan with a little EVOO. Mix the mayonnaise, garlic and hot sauce, viola, spicy aoili. Create a bed of spinach, throw some aoili on it, put the burger on top, more spinach, more aoili, throw a few artichoke hearts on the side and there you are! 

I don't do buns, you can if you'd like, but I don't. This took only 15 minutes to make, cut corners where you can--artichokes from a jar!! This is far from gourmet, but it's good and healthy for a busy night of studying. Maybe I can even get the boy to try it...hmmm.

Happy Cooking!! 

<3 b