Topshop Inspiration

While scouring all of my regular internet fashion havens today, I came across some images from Topshop's spring/summer look-book. To me, these outfits are so creative, they look more or less like art. Perfect for inspiration. Beautiful. It's tough to layer in Florida because it's just so darn hot here already. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I often think about how great it would be to live in a place like LA, a place where you get hot days but chilly evenings. We don't get any more chilly days in Florida, summer weather is in full swing. After looking through the Topshop look-book multiple times, I now want to go home and dig through my wardrobe to find comparable pieces to compile together to make ensembles like these ladies are displaying. Here are some of the pictures that I will be using for inspiration. 

Deep Fried

For the last two years, on Easter, my boyfriend has been in charge of deep frying the turkey.  After dinner, and a couple of glasses of wine, we decided to experiment. We fried pickles and bacon wrapped scallops. Not the healthiest but quite amazing!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

My parents host Easter dinner for about 15 people, at their house, every year. My mom starts "planning her menu" weeks in advance, even though the menu seems to be the same year after year. She prepares and sets the table days before the event to make sure that everything looks perfect. I love the tradition that this holiday is becoming for our family and friends. 

This year, I decided to venture out and volunteer to bring a dessert that I had never made before (brave move on my part). I wanted to be festive and my boyfriend and I love carrot cake so I narrowed my decision down to carrot cake cupcakes. Making the perfect carrot cake is just as tricky as I thought it would be, there are so many different recipes to choose from. I was pleased with the one I chose; they were flavorful, tasty, moist, and the fact that they were cupcakes made them practically bite-size, which is absolutely perfect for an after dinner treat. Although they were pretty darn good, I still have a little bit of perfecting to do. E-mail me if you'd like the recipe. 

Anna Dello Russo

Anna Dello Russo is one of the most fashionable women on the planet, if not THE most fashionable woman. She is one of the most sought after fashionistas for street style photographers and bloggers. She is the editor at large for Vogue Japan. You'll never spot her in the same outfit twice and you'll never catch her wearing anything ordinarily original. She's tall and slim with long, lean muscles; her ensembles fit her perfectly. She sits front row at all of the major fashion shows year after year. I love her creativity, style and confidence. She is an icon. Yes, I'm finally done gushing over her.

 Style.com has a fabulous slide show of photos of Anna taken by Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil Blog. I've caught myself looking at it multiple times this week so I thought I'd share. 

Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Over the weekend, it was so hot and humid here in Florida. The days are long and temperatures are now in the mid 80's by lunch time. I can only stand to be outside for a short time before I start to get uncomfortably hot. What better way to cool down than ice cream? On Sunday afternoon I tried my first attempt at homemade ice cream. I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle vanilla bean flavor and the perfect texture. It was delicious! I know my ice cream maker will be getting a lot of use this summer. I can't wait to try different flavors. Next on my list; mint chocolate chip and coffee ice cream. E-mail me if you'd like the recipe I used. 

Yellow Tulips

I love tulips. It is safe to say that they are my favorite flower. They come in the prettiest pastel colors. They remind me of spring and Easter. The only problem I have encountered in the past is that once they bloom they usually wilt and die, which leaves me only a few days to enjoy them. The beautiful yellow tulips that my mama brought me last Sunday, however, have lasted nine days, so far! Aren't they lovely?!

Bliss

Bliss is a constant state of mind undisturbed by gain or loss. 

This picture is from our trip to Belize. When I think bliss, this picture portrays it. 

'Tis the Season

For the baseball fan in all of us, Victoria's Secret has the best game gear! We all know they can't do anything without being sexy, check out the little sayings on the undies and t-shirts. Aren't they cute?!

Superfoods

This morning, while reading active.com I came across a list of six cancer-fighting superfoods.

1. Artichokes (I love 'em!)
2. Pomegranates
3. Bok Choy (I've never heard of this!)
4. Tomatoes
5. Swiss Chard
6. Purple Grapes






Just something to keep in mind as you munch during the day. I enjoy learning about different foods and their importance in our diet. I eat as healthy as possible, most of the time, so when I learn new things, I like to share. I've often contemplated becoming a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, which would mean a lot more school. Currently, I'm working on being a self-made nutritionist.

Dude

On saturday morning, I did the Rooney's 5K run that I previously blogged about here. I finished super close to my goal of 30 minutes but unfortunately, I did not beat it. I crossed the finish line at 30:40. 

Later that afternoon, we went to a friend's BBQ. Something about BBQing with a group of people on a beautiful weekend afternoon is so pleasing. The food, the drinks, the sunshine and most importantly the company all compiled together make it phenomenal. We ate burgers and chicken, listened to some good tunes, swam in the pool and discovered Three Olives Dude (lemon-lime flavored vodka). We mixed the Dude with Mountain Dew. If you like Mountain Dew and want to add a little twist, you've never tasted something so delicious! Needless to say, our get-together with friends lasted from 3 p.m. long into the night. 

Oh, deer!

{photo from Vogue.com}

I have to admit, I'm kinda lovin' this deer print. Emma Cook decided to do something a little different from the ordinary leopard and zebra print that we so often see (Not that I'm complaining, I love animal print!). I think the tunic looks adorable with tights and over the knee boots. I'm hoping to add something very similar to my fall wardrobe. The rest of collection is just as fabulous, take a look here

Wayfarer

It's hard to say that the Ray-Ban Wayfarer trend is a new one, they've been around since 1952. They were hot in the 50's and 60's, again in 1982 and then again since the 2000's. For the past few years, this style of shade has been everywhere! I'm more of an aviators girl myself, partly because I like the way they fit my face and partly because my dad wore them throughout my entire childhood, it's a nostalgia thing. This shape and style seems to be a universal fit for almost everyone, they look adorable on most faces, men and women. Not to mention, they come in every color of the rainbow.

workout chic

I've never once stepped foot in a yoga class but, I hope to one day get into Bikram Yoga, I hear the results are amazing. Although I've never done yoga, I consider myself an avid pilates goer. I religiously attend my 5:15 p.m. class every Monday and Wednesday, I hate when I have to miss. Not only do I love the way pilates makes me feel, flexible, long and lean, I love the clothes. Victoria's Secret has the prettiest yoga clothes. Right now, yoga pants are 2 for $50! I just ordered the fold-over pant in the camoflauge/black and peach/graphite. Their website is great because you can mix and match different colors and pieces.
What ever your workout routine may be, workout chic!
There are so many styles to choose from: yoga capri, flare leg pant, fitted tank, tube top, over-sized tees... What's your yoga style?

Perforated

I recently purchased this pair of wedges from here. I can not wait to get them in the mail! More importantly, I can not wait to try them on with all of my dresses! I had been looking for a pair of peep toe wedges for the last few months. After scouring the internet for what seemed like forever, I came across these and immediately fell in love. The perforated pattern will be great for the warm weather. The wedge will make them comfortable (hopefully) to walk in. The lace-up front adds a certain casualness. The peep toe adds a little flirty-ness, which is perfect for showing off my red toe nails.

Nude, simple and sweet.

Fedora Me

Last year, I was indecisive about the fedora trend, not because they didn't look adorable on everyone, but mostly because it was a trend, a huge trend. This year, however, I'm certain that I want to add one to my wardrobe. The one in the picture is from Forever 21. I love that it's made of straw, that's a sure sign it's a summer hat, which makes it perfect for the warmer weather. I can picture myself wearing it all through the spring/summer months, walking along the beach, evening BBQ's...

never say never

My beach attire usually consists of a triangle top bikini with minimal coverage for minimal tan lines (no thong for me), and a loose dress thrown over the top for a cover-up. While scouring the internet today, I came across this super sweet bandini. I've been know to say that I will never wear one of these until post pregnancy. Today, I had a slight change of heart when I saw this Marc by Marc Jacobs nude number.  I love it's pretty print and feminine silhouette. You can see it here.
I would pair this swimsuit with a pair of white linen pants, cute sandals and a floppy hat. Spring perfection.

goodness.

In order to be remembered, leave nothing behind but goodness.

April 1st

Happy April Fools Day!

I will admit, I got April fooled twice today. How the heck does that happen?! What a fun way to ring in the new month!