Purse Envy

1 // gap clutch
2 // modcloth purse
3 // jcrew mini bag
4 // modcloth map tote

I'm usually the first person to say that a bag should be neutral so you can get more wear out of it and so that you don't end up looking crazy if you have to rush out of the house without changing your purse (cough mom cough your schoolbus yellow purse cough). However I may just be changing my ways since any of these saturated hues would make me and my closet very happy, even if it meant a little clashy clashy action from time to time.

Do you keep it neutral with your accessories or have you been embracing the neon trend since like 2011?

Instagram Who?

row 1 // crochet cowl, jcrew cords, grad photos / row 2 // air travel, target purse, hockey game /  row 3 // jack the puppy, icicles, yoga at home / row 4 // monster snowflakes, wine and candy night, journal articles and donuts / row 5 // non functional fireplace, skyline, gorgeous sunset / row 6 // bike graveyard, lumberjack outfit, poetry

First of all I love how instagram has been (possibly temporarily) replaced by "vine" which I don't really get the point of but that could just be because it remains inaccessible to me hah. This post about it made me laugh.

Can't say that I'm going to miss January  The novelty of the winter has certainly worn off with this month! I'm looking forward to a long visit home, mardi gras (yay for texas being into that now) and valentines day, the Oscars and plenty of other goodness. Can't wait to take pictures of things that aren't gray and white!

Link up your latest instagram fun in the comments and find me here (@kels_ea)

Valentines Vetements

> 1  asos pencil dress
> 2  topshop skirt
> 3  elizabeth and james blouse
> 4  dvf pandora dress
> 5  h&m peplum top
> 6  carven dress
> 7  h&m top
> 8  topshop scuba dress
> 9  shoshanna coat
> 10  asos peplum dress
> 11  asos collared dress
> 12  shoshanna dress

What will you be wearing this february 14th? I'm looking forward to some kind of dressed up, old hollywood movie marathon girls night, because who says the fun is only for the love birds! Check out this board on pinterest for more v day inspiration :)

Ooh Girl

yeah, we are those kind of dog people

These shots of my girl georgie were snapped at home as I was packing up for the semester. It seems to be a kind of tradition that everyone comes and hangs out on my bed while I try to cram as many "necessities" as possible into 100 lbs of luggage. Even the pups join in on the fun! One of my favorite memories has to be one night last year before I was about to leave for four months, my mom, sister and I spent a solid hour cry-laughing at each other's best impressions of our family members. Proof that sometimes its the transitions and the in between times where the best moments are had!

I'm making it my goal to find a cozy nook in the library this weekend to sip some earl grey and catch up on a mountain of work. I'm definitely going to be watching Sabrina and Girls(duh) at some point and perhaps even venturing out for a thrift store adventure. What are you and yours up to?

Brrr it's cold in here...

photo by sixteen year old me

Sooo the current temperature is -15 F (-26 C) and the weather service warns us that "The Arctic air holding steady over the province combined with moderate winds is causing extreme wind chill conditions over most regions." And at night we're down to -39 with windchill. AKA I will not be prancing around in the pretty snow without a coat on to display my latest "look" anytime soon. Kudos (kind of?) to the die hard outfit-posters who can pull that off though!

Also I don't think anyone would appreciate my "look" of sweater and puffy vest under puffy coat, with 4 pairs of socks and boot liners, plus a headband and a scarf crudely stuffed into a hood. Yum. I'm extremely thankful for a warm place to sleep at night though, and my thoughts and prayers are definitely with anyone struggling with homelessness this winter.

So what are you doing to fight the frigid air and its accompanied boredom? Have any fun traditions for days when you're shut in?

Interior Inspiration

I've been on a random interiors kick lately, maybe because I'm excited at the prospect of moving into a big girl apartment later this year. Although I'll be sad to part with my seafoam painted and brick walled college apartment its exciting to watch your own style grow up. Here's what I've been drawn to:

1 >> A gallery wall / bookshelf combo
2 >> Patterned floor tiles
3 >> Pop of orange
4 >> A pink velvet couch
5 >> A pink dresser
6 >> Streamlined and graphic
7 >> A mix-matched gallery wall and a bold striped couch
8 >> A colorful gallery hall
9 >> A huge mirror to enlarge a space
10 >> Two toned walls
11 >> Saturated hues with neutral walls
12 >> A nod to mid century modern

Check out my house and home pinterest board for more if you're into that kind of thing ;)

Links and High Jinks

epic accidental topknots are fun times

Here are a few things that I've been spending unhealthy amounts of time swooning over:

1. The difference between goals and to-do's by Elise
2. Nat The Fat Rat and her amazing writing skills are at it again telling the story of how she met her hubs
3. Craving this jacket from Jcrew that is 70$ (ouch) but used to be 260$!
4. Cashmere lined leather gloves for 28$ sound nice right about now with the very negative temperatures looming (we're talking like -8 F my american friends). 
5. If you haven't read suri's burn book yet you should probably start now. 
6. Someone needs to buy this paisley iphone 4 case so I can admire it from afar. 
7. Not sure how I had never seen craftgawker before but I'm a little afraid for my free time.
8. In scrapbooking news I am drooling over this stamp set.
9. Little snake earrings with rhinestones and green eyes, pretty cool. 
10. Tara Stiles youtube videos have been a lifesaver so far this semester since my yoga classes didn't survive the budget cut! 

Yet Again

excursion vest jcrew // shirt theory // jeans jbrand // necklace f21 // clogs borrowed from mom

I wasn't kidding around when I said this thing was on repeat! This was back when I was still at home and still sporting long-hair-don't-care. I must say I am SO ready to say goodbye to harsh winters for the indefinite future. I am beginning to think that everyone who lives in a temperate climates but says "I'm so envious of that winter wonderland" is conspiring against me. Please be my guest to take my awkward winter woes while I casually sport wispy layers. It probably doesn't help that I literally have the circulation of an amphibian (nerd alert: my cap refill is horrendous!). P.S. can you tell that I don't iron anything? ;)

Do you get the parka blues this time of year or are you still on the new year/ new you high?

Rants, Raves, and Reviews

christina gives digital shorts, hockey and zebra snuggies thumbs up and moving sushi bar a thumbs down

First of all thank goodness for kindle for PC. I'm kind of in love with the fact that 2 of the books I desperately needed to catch up in my English class were FREE kindle versions. If you can get past the whole reading on a screen thing I would highly recommend it! Here's what else I've been glued to lately:

GIRLS
The first episode was AMAZING. If you want some prep read this and definitely watch the teaser! If you haven't started watching yet I would highly recommend it, although you have to be prepared to look past the raunchy scenes to appreciate the amazing writing!

PITCH PERFECT
I definitely think it lived up to the hype. Fat amy = priceless. I would watch this one ASAP if I were you! It reminds me of the original bring it on but different and way better.

HOW TO DEAL
Seriously awesome throwback to the early 2000's. We somehow stumbled upon this one and I'm so glad we did! Definitely a great rom-com to watch with your girlfriends for a little blast from the past.

PROM
The perfect movie to watch with your pre-teen sister/cousin/niece/anyone female under the age of 12. It was surprisingly bearable compared to most PG Disney movies geared towards that age group!

SNL DIGITAL SHORTS
We may or may not have watched every single one. No shame. Those recieving 5 stars based on Christina and myself's rating system:
> drake interview
> 3 way (the golden rule)
> booty call
> megan's roommate
> the mirror
> andy popping into frame
> andy punches
> ras trent
> laser cats (the original)
> andy walking
> young chuck norris
> natalie raps

What have you been watching lately? I'm making a master list of movies I want to see and especially need recommendations for really old, like 1930's and 40's films!

Having a Moment

1. J.Crew Biennial Satchel
2. Loeffler Randall Mini Bag
3. Asos Oasis Dress 
4. Rachel Zoe Jeni Cape 
5. Gap Dress  
6. Kors Michael Kors Loafers 
7. J.Crew Factory Sweater 
8. Loeffler Randall Tamsin Heels 

These are a few finds I unearthed on my latest online shopping binge (in which I did not purchase anything because of this resolution!). And a side note, everything pictured is on serious sale, happy shopping!

I'm definitely having a bit of an animal print moment as me and the best friend would call it. I also definitely swore to myself that I would never indulge in what I thought to be a trend reserved for the oh so classy ladies of the real housewives series. But alas here we are. I bought this J.Crew shirt entirely covered in leopard print (and 18$ woop woop) and I've been wearing this belt and this scarf from target non stop since last summer. I'm basically turning into this over here, watch out world.

Recipe: Magic Squares

Magic Squares are one of those extremely adaptable hard to mess up recipes that will pretty much taste like a sugar rush no matter how you put your spin on it. I even semi-burnt a pan once freshman year that was still thoroughly enjoyed by many. There are variations but below is my favorite, which differs slightly from my pictured ingredients (because when you're raiding mom's pantry you can't be too picky).

Adapted from Sandra Lee and my Grandma's versions

MAGIC SQUARES

3/4 cup butter // 4 cups oreo cookie crumbs // 1.5 cups nuts // 1 bag milk chocolate chips // 1 bag white chocolate chips // 2 cups shredded coconut // 1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine 3/4 cup of melted butter with roughly 4 cups of oreo cookie crumbs. When the mixture starts to come together, press it into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan. On top of the crust sprinkle evenly about 1.5 cups of your favorite nut (I like slivered almonds best). Next come the glorious white and milk chocolate chips, roughly one bag of each, evenly spread. Then about 2 cups of shredded coconut (we use sweetened, just depends how much sugar you can handle). Finally spread evenly 1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk over the whole mixture and into the oven for around 35 to 40 minutes. Sandra says to make sure the center is set but I usually take it out when the sides start to brown (its not burnt though, the sweetened condensed milk just browns quickly!).

Have you ever tried a variation of these? I'd love to hear your recipes too!

Holly and Jolly

A little tardy to the party but here are some snippets of our holiday festivities. I will say that after 3.5 weeks of being home and relaxing I still feel like the time flew by. Thank goodness I get another chance to visit soon in February!

little sister's roses from her nutcracker performance

our (blurry) tree

"fashion show" with the little sis and best friend

strawberry nutella waffles

cheeselog - a family favorite

MORE food: cherry pie with snowflake crust

burt reynolds sans mustache, aka my brother in a turtleneck

I'm so bummed that the holidays are over and also that so many of my classes look a little heavy on the coursework. Probably shouldn't have planned on skipping the first 3 days AND a whole week of school this semester but I'm just going to keep telling myself that I've "earned" it (which is a perfectly great argument for most indulgences - you should try it). Thank goodness my neighborhood seems to be easing out of the holidays, I hate when people tear down all signs of Christmas come January 2. And there seems to be a lot of positive energy flying around with New Years resolution season in full swing!

I have quite a bit going on this week as I'm applying for a job (eek!) as well as to a few grad programs (also eek!) and making the trek back up north for my LAST semester. I have a feeling that graduation is going to leave me a little shell shocked, but I am so ready to have that little piece of paper in my hand after four years of misery hard work.

What are you up to during this back-to-school / back-to-reality week? Thanks for reading!

Quintessential 2012 Recap

Just a few highlights from 2012, since I'm usually a bit delayed at realizing change and all. Click on the photos above for links to the posts!

> I started this blog in march, fun timez.
> I made some diy projects:  earrings // mini notebooks // a cross stitch // a bangle // started a scrapbook (and dropped the ball oops) // fridge magnets
> Celebrated some 21st birthdays (me and cd)
> Said happy birthday to 'merica
> Took an awesome trip to Canada (and this) and visited the Calgary Stampede
> Went to Louisiana for a little R&R
> Enjoyed the beautiful end of summer weather in Montreal (and the fall wasn't so bad either)
> I got pretty pumped up about Christmas
> And was lucky enough to ring in the New Year surrounded by loved ones!

Did you make a recap? Leave me a link in the comments!

Online Shopping Daydreams

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine

Someone's been up to no good (hint hint it's me). The evil shopping monster inside of me couldn't resist showing you what caught my eye at J Crew. They've got plenty of fabulous sale items right now so act fast if you dare!

Ironically enough, one of my new years resolutions (as I'm choosing to call it) is to put a spending freeze on myself. Since I'll be graduating and becoming a real financially independent adult, gasp, I'm choosing to be much smarter about how I spend and save in 2013. All of this basically means bye bye J Crew and hello thrifted and homemade items. I'm actually excited to find new ways to shop my own closet and to drastically reduce the amount of stuff that comes through my front door.

What are your resolutions looking like? How did you deal with the shift to financial independence? I'd love to hear any tips and tricks you might have :)

Quotepost // One

my pup georgie

 

1. Enthusiastic text message "Oh ya!!! Me <3 u!!!! Gtg hav my beauty sleep, bye" - little sis 
2. "You should get twitter, you would be famous" - danielle
3. "Elaine is in front of us dancing" - my mom making fun of a woman in front of them at a concert "Elaine from Seinfeld. Mom didn't make that clear" - my sister, for clarity's sake 
4. "Don't you recognize the sun god when you see him?" - my favorite pharmacology prof
5. "Girl fried. I'm so drunk. I'm about to do a danc at this party. And I'm trekking everyone I'm in love with ___. &*%$ I love you more than anyone though! <3" - anonymous 
6. "Rarely did it get to round three because I pinned 'em" -my friend on her career as a pro high school wrestler 

And my all time favorite internet funny of the last few months: Unforgivable twitter spelling mistakes.

DIY Goodies

These are some tags I whipped up to add to the crochet goodies I've been making for friends and family. I traced some store-bought tags and added hole reinforcements, yarn, and a bit of embroidery floss. This was the headband I made for Christina's Christmas gift (she liked it and everything!). 

I hope that you all had a wonderful New Years! I'm still enjoying some much needed best fran time and keepin it reallll lazy. To give you an idea of our schedule as of late we may or may not have watched every SNL digital short over the weekend (best. idea. ever.) How did you and yours ring in the new year? Did you make a list of resolutions?? 

Happy hump day AND happy 2013, thanks so much for reading!