Is it Spring yet!?

Anthropologie has some ridiculously cute dresses for Spring that I want to wear now - too bad we still have a few months until 80 degree days!

This Ablaze Dress is too cute - would be great with a cardigan for work.  And I totally think this is a perfect Emma Pillsbury dress : )

It's a bit hard to tell in this picture, but the polka dots on this dress are orange - when mixed with the bright printed sash it makes a great combination!  I don't usually love orange, but I thought this dress was too cute!

Yellow is my favorite color so it's no surprise that I love this dress!  But the black and white polka dot belt just seals the deal for me.

Things I Am Loving!

Happy Monday everyone!

The new Vampire Weekend CD came out a few weeks ago - it's really good (can't decide if I like it more than the first) and it has been on repeat every day since it was released!  Horchata and White Sky are my favorite songs right now.

These red striped canisters would be oh so cute on my kitchen counter:

Milly has some of the cutest clothes and this coat is no exception!  That huge ruffle on the collar is just too cute! 

This bow bedding from anthropologie is just dreamy:

Spicy Black Bean Fettucine

I tried a new pasta recipe last week and really liked it  - Spicy Black Bean Fettucine!

You'll Need:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbls chili powder

2 tsps cumin

1 tbls minced garlic

3 jalapenos (seeded and sliced up)

1 bunch green onions (chopped)

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 Roma tomato

1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

1/2 cup Mexican cheese

Fettucine pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Heat olive oil in skillet, add chili powder, cumiin, and garlic.  Mix together and add chicken - turn chicken over several times to drench the chicken in the sauce. After chicken is cooked through remove chicken from skillet and slice into small pieces.  In the same skillet (you should still have a "sauce" like substance of the olive oil and spices) add the green onions and jalapenos.  Saute 3 minutes, then add blackbeans and let them heat for another 3 minutes. Add chicken and cheese and heat thoroughly.  Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and fettucine.  Top with cilantro.

It's definitely not the prettiest looking dish, but it tastes delicious!

 

*The actual recipe calls for Black Pepper Fettucine - I only had regular so that's what I used.  It also called for Feta cheese - I don't particularly love Feta so I subbed in mexican cheese. I think it tasted great the way I made it but will probably try the black pepper fettucine next time to see what it tastes like.

Book Review - Brideshead Revisited

I finished reading Brideshead Revisited a few weeks ago and I really enjoyed it.  It's different and definitely not for everyone.

I started this book three times before making my way through the entire thing. It started out a bit slow and took me a while to really get into it, but about a quarter of the way through I really began to enjoy it.  The ending was a bit of a surprise, but was actually quite fitting once I began to reflect more on the characters. 

The plot revolves around Charles Ryder, a young man just starting out at University, and the relationships that he forms while he is there.  He gets entangled with the Marchmain family (who live at Brideshead) and many years later he comes back to Brideshead and reflects on all that has happened since then.  I really enjoyed the way that Evelyn Waugh writes - it's highly entertaining!  At one point in the novel, Charles says "and that was the last time that Julia and I spoke" and you think to yourself "what!? how could that be? what happened to them?" and then Waugh goes back to the beginning and tells you the story.  He does this several times and it really keeps you on your toes - you never know what is coming next.


This book was recently made into a movie of the same title and I do not recommend it!  The movie does not follow the storyline of the book at all and does a terrible job of depicting the main characters, Charles Ryder and Sebastian Flyte.  

Font Snob

I am a bit of a font snob. 

There, I said it.

I subscribe to several typography blogs and read many typography and lettering newsletters.  Times New Romans - I cannot stand. The tiny, minute differences between Arial and Helvetica - I can name them. And speaking of Helvetica - have any of you seen the documentary on Helvetica? I have and it's fantastic.

I have always loved letters and the world of typography has opened my eyes.  I stumbled upon these amazing letters at Jeanie & Jewell and I am completely smitten with them!

I would love to spend all day designing new letters and typefaces - is that nerdy? Oh well, I'm not ashamed! :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Jayma Mays

Glee has obviously been a big hit this year and while I do love Glee - I really love Emma Pillsbury, played by Jayma Mays.  She is by far my favorite character and every week I look forward to her fabulous fashion!  If I could have Emma's entire wardrobe I would be one happy girl.  She is dressed so well and almost always has a bow on. After lots of searching I have determined that most of her clothes are Anthropologie, Milly, Nanette Lepore, and J Crew.

Some of my favorite outfits include:

 [alice+olivia bow blouse]

[Diane Von Furstenburg sweater]

 [J Crew Shirt]

[Nanette Lepore sweater]

[Juicy Couture skirt]

[Milly sweater]

She also wears this Nanette Lepore dress:

I could not find a great picture of her in it though...

She has also worn this skirt and cardigan from Anthropologie - again no pictures of Emma after much searching

I can't wait until the next season starts in April - I'm hoping for fantastic new story lines and an even more fantastic wardrobe for Emma!

And I'll go ahead and admit that I cried my little eyes out in the final episode when Will showed up to Emma's wedding and she tells him that she has to go because every time she looks at him she is heartbroken.  And then when he runs down the hall at the end and they finally kiss...I melted.  I love happy endings.