The Classic White Shirt

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-H&M

Jeans-Gap

Belt-J.Crew

Shoes-Vera Wang Lavender Label

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Neckalce-Sequin

Wallet/Clutch-Marc Jacob  

 

There are days when I have those 'I have nothing to wear' moments and feel uninspired. When I come across that moment I usually refer back to classic pairings such as the white shirt and jeans combo. It's such a simple and casual combination yet can look so effortlessly chic. If you've been following my blog for some time now, you probably noticed that I am a huuuuuge fan of jewelry. I love and appreciate pieces that are unique and somewhat remind me of art. I tweeted about this necklace when I first saw it at Neiman Marcus a month ago and added it to my Christmas wishlist. I must've been a good girl because I was gifted the gorgeous necklace for Christmas. 

Whether it be adding jewelry, a scarf, or a fantastic pair of shoes, what do you do to dress up the classic white shirt/jeans combo?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Finally picked out blinds for my new place. Who knew that picking blinds could be so time consuming and detail oriented? As a first time home buyer, there are so many things I was unaware of that I'm learning along the way. It's definitely been a learning process.
2. Took a late night stroll around Georgetown area. We had unusually warm weather (again) this past weekend so it was a beautiful night to enjoy in D.C.
3. Caught up with life happenings with a good friend at Founding Farmers restaurant. My favorite appetizer from that place is their fried green tomatoes. The only other restaurant I had fried green tomatoes at was in New Orleans and it was just as delicious.
4. Made paper stars out of origami paper to add to my jar that's almost full with them. I'll post a DIY tutorial soon so please stay tuned:)
5. Was treated to 1.5lb of fudge by my friend. I have great friends.
6. Spent some quality time with the boy because he came back from Spain yesterday:) He brought 4 bottles of wine back with him. Wine party soon? Holla!

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Chocolate and Salted Caramel Mug Cake

So let's continue talking about this weather. For the past couple of days, it's been cold--as in frigid, sniffle-inducing-just-by-staying-outside for-one-minute-cold. What's up with the sudden winter slap in the face, mother nature? The other day I had a day off from work and didn't go out at all because of the weather....well other than to walk my dog but that doesn't count. The cold made me want to hibernate inside, be lazy, and be anti-social. I was even too lazy to cook something so I might've had PB+J for dinner. Maybe.

I wanted to eat something comforting and chocolate-y. Lots of girls have this love affair with chocolate but for some reason I'm not part of that crew (except for white chocolate). I don't know why but I only like chocolate whenever I have a craving for it which is actually quite rare. But then that rarity happened a couple days ago.

 

As I was perusing through my list of "must make" items I forgot that about this recipe I wanted to try. The recipe said 1.5 minutes and chocolate cake and well umm hello? I took that as a sign from the chocolate gods.

So you know that saying about opposites attract? Well this is the prime example of that. It's sweet and salty and it takes all of 1.5 minutes to bake. I'm serious. Would I lie to you??

Enjoy this easy as pie (or cake) recipe and have a bite for me. Have a great weekend.

Recipe: Makes 1 mug cake (adapted from www.babble.com)
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg – beaten
3 tablespoons skim milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 salted caramels (If you can’t find salted caramels you can sprinkle a little fleur de sel salt into the mixture as you’re dropping in the caramels).

Procedure:
1. Into a small bowl add: flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, egg, milk, and vegetable oil. Mix to combine.
2. Pour mixture into a regular sized coffee mug. Drop caramels into center of mixture one at a time.
3. Microwave on high for one minute and 30 seconds. If needed (if cake batter is still gooey), microwave on high for up to an additional 30 seconds. (*I microwaved it for one minute and 15 seconds because I didn't want it to come out too dry).

Pink+Green

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Blouse-Sigrid Olsen

Jeans-Paige Denim

Jacket-Juicy Couture

Shoes-Alice&Olivia

Bracelet-Sequin

Sunglasses-Stella McCartney

Purse-Chanel

Can we talk about how this weather can change from 60 degrees to 30 degrees within one day?? I wore this outfit when it was obviously warmer because the jacket is light and was enough to keep me warm under the comfortable temperatures I experienced a couple days ago. I've always been attracted to coats/jackets with interesting details whether it be from the cut, color, pleats, cute buttons, etc. I love it all. 

The colors of this outfit, along with the super feminine shoes (which I'm madly in love with) can all together be perceived as "girly." I chose to wear cargo pants instead of just plain denim because I like to incorporate something that sets it off a little. Cargo pants are very casual--boyish even, so I chose to wear them because sometimes things can't always be perfect.

Do you do something to your outfit to slightly set it off?

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1. Received my first pair of Alice+Olivia shoes I ordered from Saks. Bows+Sparkle=Sold. I was a bit unsure when I initially saw them online but fell in love instantly when I saw these beauties in person. Love love love.
2. Made hot spinach dip using Martha Stewart's recipe for my friend's NYE potluck. Will post recipe soon.
3. Celebrated NYE with several of my good friends at a friend's place. Her bf cooked pork tenderloin (not pictured--ate too fast) using their sous vide machine and the meat was unbelievably tender and delicious. For those of you who are unfamliar with sous vide, it's basically a method of cooking food in a sealed plastic bag in a water bath for a long time (usually 72 hrs) at a precise temperature, which allows the food to cook evenly. You can only imagine how incredibly good a steak will turn out using this thing. I love how my friends enjoy food just as much as I do. Our love of food is one of the things that brings us together.
4. Drank a lot of wine at the party.
5. Finally watched The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo. I've read the book and was not disappointed at how the movie turned out. So, so good. I have a major girl crush on Rooney Mara now. She had the ability to look fierce/tough with all her piercings, tattoos, and punk rock haircut yet exude femininity with her flawless skin and tiny physique. There's a quiet vulnerability in the character she portrays from the book and Mara executed that beautifully in the movie.
6. Painted my nails to fit the New Years holiday. Black and silver are the common colors I see in NYE party favors/decor so I used similar colors on my nails with a twist on the french manicure.

How was your weekend?