What a wonderful little Friday treat, a shoot I styled with Bring to Light Photography and Little Flower Cottage is up on Style Me Pretty Living today! Click on over to read about our little apple-picking porch party with lots of tasty apple-inspired treats. And be sure to check back next week — I’ll share the details of my recipes for an Autumn Apple punch, a baked brie with apple compote, and other treats like salted caramel apples and mini mason jar apple pies!
Can we say ‘styling-crush’? I got the new-to-me Schoolhouse Electric catalog in the mail last week and it’s one of those things that I think will end up in my magazine box for years to come — the styling and photography are amazing. Not to mention the actual products are beyond lust-worthy, it made me want to start from scratch and redecorate my entire apartment. I love that slightly messy, collected-Americana look to the pages. And gosh does it make me want to invest in new light fixtures!
Images via Schoolhouse Electric Catalog
I had my 10 year high school reunion this weekend, which made me feel pretty old. But you know what made me feel even more old? Taking two days to recover from staying up way too late with old buddies. Since I’m still shaking off my late night of drinking and gossiping, I have a light little post to share with you today — a few things that have caught my eye and are just too good not to share. I’m feeling this modern-cabin-vibe lately and just want to wear chunky neutral knits and classic pieces. That National Parks print? Obsessed. And a quirky little door mat, I mean, everyone needs a little wit on their way out the door in the morning, right?
Clockwise from top left: Door Mat, Knit Hat, National Parks Poster, Arrow Soap Dish, Apothecary Dopp Kit, Leather Handle Boat Tote
It’s back! It’s back! It’s really back! I have been on the hunt for the new issue of Domino since the announcement came that my beloved magazine would be back on stands. I remember when the news came that the magazine was closing, it was right around when I was starting this blog and the pages of Domino played a big part in inspiring my interest to write about design and entertaining. I finally snagged a copy last week when I was catching my train to New York, and I savored every single page of it from cover to cover. I was so happy to see that the new format kept the same styling and tone as previous issues, it was like being reunited with a old friend, we picked up right where we left off! After I scanned in a few of my favorite pages to share below, the new Domino went right into the stack of my old issues, home sweet home.
Images via Domino Magazine
Cocktails are one of my favorite things. And another one of my favorite things? Adorable branding. Thus my new obsession with Royal Rose‘s line of organic small-batch simple syrups. They are the prettiest little bottles and come in interesting flavors that I’m loving experimenting with in different cocktails. I purchased the rose syrup to top off glasses of champagne, and the cardamom clove syrup for fall cocktails — I made an apple cider and bourbon punch with it last weekend (recipe to come soon!). I have a feeling I may need to try the rest of the line, and gosh won’t they look cute on my bar cart?
Image via Royal Rose
Last week I was lucky to join a group of other bloggers at the Ladies Home Journal #GetSocial conference in New York. It was a great day and I got to hear awesome speakers like Kendi, Joy, and Gaby. One of my favorite parts of the day was hearing Joy of Joy the Baker talked about her creative process, and her journey to how she got to where she is today. One thing that stuck out to me in her talk was that she was very candid about her success didn’t happen overnight, she downsized and cut back to make ends meet while working to pursue her passion, and through that hard work and dedication she was able to get her blog turned into a book. I think it’s so important to hear about those ‘behind the scenes’ stories because blogs can often only show the ‘shiny’ side of things — I’m guilty of it too, you rarely see photographs on here of the burnt cookies or failed DIY projects (and believe me, they exist!). It was a refreshing day and I left feeling super energized about my blog and the great community of other bloggers I’ve been able to meet along the way!
After a rather busy week last week, I was so happy to have a lazy Sunday on the books over the weekend. I caught up on blogs and my DVR, lounged around in my cozy new sweatshirt, and got a pot of bolognese cooking for the better part of the afternoon. Making a big pot of tomato sauce just reminds me of being at my Grandma’s house growing up — the smell of the garlic and onions filling up the whole house. I used a recipe from Williams-Sonoma as my guide, but made it my own with a few ingredient swaps. It totally hit the spot and exceeded my expectations. It’s a recipe that I’ll be adding to my cookbook file for future reference, comfort food at its best!
Last week I was run down and had a terrible cold, so I was determined to use the weekend to recharge. To me, there is nothing more relaxing or comforting than being in the kitchen, so that’s where I spent my time. I stayed in Friday night and baked up lots of treats, including mini mason jar apple pies, and sea salt caramel apples — both for a little Saturday project I helped style with two my good friends (more pictures coming soon!). And Sunday I let a hearty kielbasa and white bean soup simmer in the slow cooker all day — which made our apartment smell delightful. It was a delicious and successful attempt at a relaxing weekend.
Much like my affinity for leopard prints, I love tortoise shell for it’s neutral capabilities — it goes with everything. I’ve been eyeing a whole bunch of tortoise shell accessories lately to update my fall wardrobe — they go perfectly with classic black dresses to wear to work, and look great with casual grey sweaters and tees for the weekends. At the top of my list is that Tuckernuck clutch, I can just envision it at lots of holiday parties this year! And that sweet little bow hair clip is from J.Crew’s Crewcuts — perfect for jazzing up a preppy ponytail, don’t you think?
Sources: Necklace, Sunglasses, Ring, Earrings, Bracelet, Clutch, Cuff, Bow Hair Clip
Last night the gracious ladies of BeStyled, a blow dry bar in Chestnut Hill, invited a group of us from Boston Bloggers to have an evening of pampering — and what better way to shake off a mid-week slump than with blow-outs, make up styling, champagne and blogger chatter, right? I love going to get my hair done, and my stylist Kelly did such a great job of giving me some volume and movement. I feel so relaxed when I’m getting it washed and dried, and it’s even more fun to do it with a group of girlfriends — we took over the salon and had a blast!
Note: BeStyled gifted all of us free blow outs at their salon. All opinions are my own.
