Preppy Cool

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Shirt, shorts-H&M (recent)

Bracelets, ring-David Yurman, Neiman Marcus

Belt-J.Crew

Shoes-Dolce Vita (bought at TJ Maxx)

Purse-YSL

I've always been a fan of the preppy look and a big influence is probably due to the fact that I grew up on the east coast. I wouldn't label my style full on prepster but I do notice it shows up in it's own way in my outfit choices and the clothes I tend to buy. For me, I like to add a twist to the preppy look, whether it be adding chunky jewelry or mixing it in with funky shoes.

I recently bought this shirt because I was attracted to the vibrant colors and the madras plaid. It can be versatile enough so you can wear it to work or dressed down for a more casual look to run errands, wear to school, meet friends, etc.

Hope you're surviving the short week so far and the humidity. Have a great week and talk to you soon. xo.

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I....

1. Bought a little vase from CB2 Georgetown (on sale now) to use for my bedside table. My table isn't too big for a lot of space so this cute vase was the perfect size. There's something about waking up to a fresh bloom every morning that just brings a smile to your face.

2. Attended two different birthday BBQs for my friend's babies. It's a strange realization when the birthday parties you used to attend have now shifted and they've become birthday parties for their kids.

3. Went to dim sum with a bunch of friends for brunch. If you haven't eaten dim sum before, I highly recommend it. In certain Chinese restaurants, waiters roll around a cart full of ready-to-serve bite sized food (steamed dumplings, Chinese broccoli, pork buns, etc). You have the option to pick and choose what's on the cart while seated at your table.

4. Began reading the ever popular book, Fifty Shades of Grey. It's been on the New York Times bestseller list for quite some time (I think Hollywood is making a movie out of it soon) and have been curious about the hype. It's about a sexual affair that occurs between two very different people that centers around control and exploration of one's desire. Umm yea.

5. After prepping for some upcoming blog posts, my photographer friend and I went out to eat for some good ol' greasy, not very healthy for you burgers and nachos. It was a good way to close the night.

How was your weekend?

NomNom: Cranberry Granola

Happy Friday everyone!

You know what I absolutely love? Simple recipes that turn out to be GREAT. Can you tell by now I love to make easy stuff? It's a good thing to discover recipes like those because they could change your life in a good, stress free way.

Let's talk granola. Let's talk Greece. It's been about a year since I traveled to Greece and I've been yearning to travel again lately to an undiscovered place. I miss the excitement of traveling to a foreign country and even the stress that comes with planning a big trip to an unknown country. It's a detail oriented process but the end result is so worth it.

One of the things I love to discover during my trips obviously deals with food. While vacationing in Greece, I noticed there would be little snack shops that sold Greek yogurt with toppings! It reminded me of ice-cream shops here in the states--same concept, different key player. When I first had my taste of plain Greek yogurt, I was disgusted. It was bland and sour. Not cool.

I was hesitant to try it again during my trip but hey, I believe in second chances. So here's the thing, they love to drizzle HONEY over their Greek yogurt. What da what? I mean I've seen fruit as toppings but honey?? Maybe I'm new to the game but it was a new concept to me. The yogurt shop also had toppings such as granola and fresh fruit which I added as well, and that was pretty much the end of it for me.

Granola is such an easy, delicious, healthy, bulk yielding thing to make that you'll never want to get store bought stuff. To me, the best way to eat granola is to have it as a topping on Greek yogurt, adorned with your favorite fruit and drizzled in glorious, sweet honey. It's a reminder of my travel to Greece and also a healthy breakfast or snack to have.

How is everyone going to enjoy their extra long weekend? I have a couple of birthday BBQs to attend and shopping on the agenda which I'm looking forward to. BBQS, friends, and shopping=weekend to look forward to.

Have a GREAT weekend.

Ingredients (Adapted from www.allrecipe.com)
8 cup Oat
1 1/2 C Wheat germ
1 1/2 C Oat bran
1 1/2 C sunflower seeds
1 C finely chopped almonds
1 C finely chopped pecans
1 C finely chopped walnut
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C maple syrup
3/4 C honey
1 C vegetable oil
1 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla
2 C raisin or dried cranberries

Procedure 
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. 

2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.

3.  Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Easy Does It

Photos courtesy of Sung Shin

Tank top-H&M (recent)

Jeans-Paige Denim

Hat-Lerner New York 

Shoes-Jessica Simpson

Cuff-Kenneth Jay Lane

Necklace-Alexis Bittar

Note to self: Don't try walking on unpaved roads/street while wearing wedges.

I bought this tank top recently at H&M and was immediately attracted to it because of the wide stripes (I'm a huge proponent for stripes) and the loose fit. When the weather gets warm, especially during the summer, I tend to gravitate towards comfortable, loose fitting tops. They give off a casual and easy look but if worn right with accessories, you can look effortless.

Perhaps I'll wear this again for the memorial day weekend to kick off summer;)

Weekend Snapshots

This weekend I...

1.Went frame hunting and successfully found all the sizes I want so I can build my gallery wall of travel photos. All my photos are printed and now it's a matter of hanging and arranging.

2. Dined at Nava Thai in Wheaton, MD. I had a craving for Thai food and in my opinion, I this place has the best thai food in MD. There's a dish they have called the Floating Market soup where the name derives from the floating markets stall in Bangkok. It reminds me of a spicier version of Pho but the soup's broth has hints of sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Not only is the noodle in a noodle dish important, but the key player in a noodle soup dish is the broth and this dish alone will make me keep coming back.

3. Was gifted my first Butter nail polish by my friend Mel. I absolutely love this vibrant shade of teal and must admit that I probably wouldn't have bought this myself because of the price tag for a nail polish ($14), so thank you dear!

4. Stopped by my parent's house to visit them as they just got back from vacationing from Turkey and Greece. My mom bought me this gorgeous mini bowl set from Turkey which I will definitely be using as dipping sauces. She knows my taste very, very well. Thank you Mom.

5. Restocked on some lip glosses from Revlon at the drugstore. I ran out of 'Shine city' (2nd from left), a neutral gloss that is the perfect shade to put over a matte lipstick color or if you just want to add some shine to your lips. I also love 'Pink Afterglow' (1st from left) because it gives just the right amount of berry color and high gloss to your lips. Some new products from Revlon I bought were from their Just Bitten line. It reminds me of a crayon and is a balm and lipstain in one. I bought the shades, 'Twilight' and 'Flame' but unsure about the Twilight color after applying it on my lips. The Flame, however, is a great pop of red for your lips.

6. On another unrelated note, please check out one of my outfit posts that is featured today on Refinery 29's article on "7 So-Smart Tricks For Styling Summer Shorts — The Chic Way" HERE!

How was your weekend?