The Office.

The past year has consisted of weekend projects in and around the house.  I suppose this is what happens when you become a "homeowner." One of the first items on our to-do list was to setup our office.  Since this was going to be a shared space where I would spend a lot of time (I work from home) I wanted to make it a room I enjoyed and no better place to start than with chevron.  My incredibly helpful and handy soon-to-be-father-in-law painted the chevron stripes (Behr Adriatic Mist).   Javi and I made a trip to the lumber store and bought long pieces of wood in which we sanded, stained, and assembled them into a desk surface.  Since putting our new space together work has become that much better!

Strawberry Fields.

Strawberries remind me of my grandmother, Mom-mom.  And I love them. Not too long ago we found ourselves venturing down south to Knaus Berry farm in Homestead, Florida. This place is well known for their strawberry fields, but what really lures the public in are their shakes and their cinnamon buns.  They. are. to. die. for. The farm closes during the summer months so until then I'll be dreaming of sweet red strawberries, delectable cinnamon buns, and smooth shakes. Yum.

Kristen's Christmas Wish List.

1. Tory Burch Benjamin Sneakers  2. Apple TV  3. JCrew iPhone 5 Case  4. Tory Burch Robinson Wallet  5. Tory Burch Bow Zip Wallet  6. Vince Camuto Black Round Sunglasses  7. Zara Slipper with Leopard Tassel  8. Kate Spade Thin Bangle  9. West Elm Metallic Silver Tray  10. Philosophy Amazing Grace Perfume  11. Jonathan Adler Mermaid Ornament

Christmas is just a few weeks away but for some reason it doesn't quite feel like it.  To help me get in the holiday spirit I put the few ornaments I have (for now) on the tree over the weekend and decorated with the Christmas-themed items I own.  One tradition I want to start is to get a new Jonathan Adler ornament for the tree each year. I love everything mermaid so I thought this one was a great one to start off with.

Each year my sisters and I put together Christmas lists to share with one another (beats the risk of a potential return). Here are some ideas to get them started. Happy shopping to Katie, Kelly, and Elizabeth! 

Reindeer Art.

Something I love to do in my spare time is craft. I also LOVE the Holidays so when I saw this adorable Glitter Reindeer Art on Pinterest I knew I had to do make it. However, with my busy work schedule and the endless number of activities New York has to has to offer, it's rare for me to find the time (or space!) to craft. I found the perfect opportunity to recreate it with Kristen when I was back home in Miami for Thanksgiving. Not only did I get to craft and spend quality time with my sister, I now have a pretty darn cute Christmas decoration to add to my apartment!

Bananas Foster French Toast.

A few months back I made this oh-too-simple Bananas Foster French Toast when Kristen visited me here in New York.  It was the perfect breakfast that seemed more complicated than it actually was.  Since then, Kristen has baked it for our family in Miami and I plan to make it for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning.  I found the recipe here and have to question how "skinny" it is! I recommend you save this recipe because it is sure to become your quick and simple go-to breakfast meal that is sure to impress.

Surprise!

It's been way too long since we last wrote.  Blogging is something that I love to do and I could kick myself (and Kelly) that we didn't keep up with it more.   You would think that between the two of us we would be able to maintain it just fine but that is far from the truth as the past year has revealed.  

A lot of exciting things have happened in the past months that I should have shared with you earlier.  But hey, it's better late than never.  On September 19th my boyfriend of over 3 years proposed and I couldn't be more thrilled. At the same time, my boyfriend was also closing on a house, and we recently moved in together.  As you could imagine, it's been lots of projects around the house while also thinking about the big day.

Pollo in Potacchio.

Over the past few months, Skinnytaste has quickly become my go-to site for delicious and healthy recipes (especially after the holiday season).  One of those meals that I have made several times is Pollo in Potacchio, which is chicken in a rosemary, garlic, and tomato sauce served over pasta.  It is a yummy meal perfect for these colder winter nights!  One of the best parts about this meal is that it is great as leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.

A Genius Eyeliner Tutorial.

How to Be a Girl: Cat Eyes By Magic! from The Hairpin on Vimeo.

Kelly will probably make fun of me for posting this, but I'm no pro when it comes to applying liquid eyeliner (and she will vouch for that). I recently stumbled across this video and in my opinion it is absolutely genius!  Apparently Scotch tape isn't just used in the office and we should should add a roll to our make-up bag (errrr, kidding).  While on the topic of eyeliner, I must share with you one of my favorites to use here.  So girls, no more excuses for sloppy eyeliner applications!

Pumpkin Muffins for Fall.

A few weeks ago when I went to New York to visit Kelly, we baked the fall version of doughnut muffins: pumpkin doughnut muffins! They are the perfect breakfast or dessert to enjoy as the temperatures begin to drop and make you embrace every bit of the fall season.  With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday next week, they would be a wonderful addition to you recipe list.

Urban Fall.

Shirt: Gap, Vest: Forever21, Shorts: Urban Outfitters, Scarf: J. Crew, Bag: Vintage Coach,
Sunglasses: H&M, Sunglasses: J. Crew, Boots: Gilt

I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I feel that our New York City fall weather  was short lived.  A few weeks ago the city had the perfect weather where the sky was clear and it was not too cold and not too hot.  I put on my favorite jean shorts and rugged boots to stroll the city with Kristen.  It was so nice to have her in town for longer than a weekend so that she could taste the true city living experience. My favorite parts of her visit were working on my Halloween costume (a white swan) and making several home cooked meals (more to come).

Black & White.

Every time I go into a Starbucks I have to control myself to not go for the black and white cookies.  Often times the black and white cookies win.  Ever since I saw this recipe, I knew I had to attempt to bake this delicious, cake-like cookie myself.  Me and my fellow taste testers were extremely pleased with the results and couldn't resist sneaking into the kitchen to grab another bite. No joke, you would have thought they came straight out of a New York deli.  I'm not sure which side is better, the black or the white, so I tend to try and eat both sides at the same time.  A tip if you do choose to make these cookies: freeze some! They freeze extremely well for a delicious dessert at a later date.

Falling for Fall.

1. Asymmetrical Fedora, The Gap  2. Structured-hip Virgin Wool Cardigan, The Outnet
3. Marc Jacobs Retro Sunglasses, Nordstrom   4. Dome Earrings, Nordstom  
5. Bleopard Leopard Clutch, Steve Madden  6. Sam Eddelman (Javi), Zappos  
7. Canvas Surplus Vest, Old Navy  8. Pleated Calf Skirt, Topshop 9. Sperry Top Siders (Sahara), Zappos

Fall has officially started and already there is a different feeling in the air.  Yes, even here in sunny Florida.  There is something about fall that so many people look forward to.  Perhaps it is knowing that the holidays are just around the corner and that family time and lots of yummy food is near.  Oh, and of course there is the bundle-up factor of sweaters and boots prior to the cold harsh winters.  On my to-buy list this season is a midi skirt (#8) and a wool fedora (#1) that I've seen so many women rocking lately.  Next week I travel to New York and there couldn't be a better place to be to shop for some perfect fall goodies!

(Best Ever) Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Back in March, I baked a batch of chocolate cookies that I thought were practically perfect.  I'm going to have to withdraw that claim and state that I've found a new winner.  Not too long ago on Pinterest I found this recipe whose caption read "the best ever chocolate chip cookies." I thought, "yeah right" but accepted the challenge.  Since first finding this recipe a couple months back, I've baked these chocolate chip cookies more times than I can count on my fingers. The secrets: use sea salt and good quality chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli).

Fall On My Mind.

 

1. Ice Cube Bracelet, J. Crew  2. Cross-Strap Flat Camel, Marais  3. Essie Mezmerised, Essie
4. British Racing Green, Butter London  5. Knitted Stripe Block Top, TopShop  
6. Black Daisy Embellished Shell Top, Top Shop  7. Coral Crochet Lace Collar Swing Top, TopShop  
8. Le Pilage Apache Tote, Longchamp  9. House of Harlow 1960 Feather Studs, Bloomingdales  
10. House of Harlow 1960 Jordana Sunglasses, Nordstrom  11. Vince Camuto 'Jerrell' Bootie, Nordstrom  
12. Raindate Pumps, Nine West  13. Prada Infusion Diris Eau de Parfum, Nordstrom

With fall within reach and this unbearable summer heat, I'm fairly certain that the upcoming fall season is on all of our minds.  It is the perfect transition season to put away our summer sandals but not quite pull out our heavy winter coats.  I am eager to hit the stores and start shopping for some key pieces and in order to prepare for my adventure, I've put together a shopping list of sorts to get me started.  I plan to visit Kelly in New York soon and what better a place to find a fall wardrobe!

Getting Through the Day.

Hello friends! We're alive. I promise. Work, life, and more work has been getting in the way of the more enjoyable things lately. No worries though, we haven't forgotten about you.  I've been working long hours recently so for today's post, I wanted to share with you what helps me to get through the day: the oh-so-captivating fashion e-mails I receive. It's my connection to the fashion world after enduring those long hours in the office that I take a few minutes to peak at what I'm missing out on after work.  How do you get through your days at work?

On a different note, as you may have noticed, Kristen's been working on a new design for our blog and I think it's perfect! We wanted to shy away from the "cute" look and go with a design with a bit more edge.  It's still a work in progress with a few more tweaks here and there so stay tuned!
 

Succulent Garden.

I never fully understood the obsession with succulents until this past weekend.  My sister, Katie, and I were strolling around an outdoor mall in Miami this weekend and saw succulent arrangements selling for $30+. I didn't want to spend this amount and immediately thought to just do it ourselves.  Quickly after, Katie and I were running all around Miami and picked up these perfect hanging candle holders from CB2 we'd seen endless times before.  From there we headed to Home Depot (in the pouring rain) and picked up gravel and an array of succulents.  The next day we got to work and arranged the succulents within the candle holders with dirt on the bottom and gravel on the top.  As you can imagine, the hardest part was arranging the cactus!  We successfully completed this project and only spent about $7 on each arrangement.  I would love to hang these somewhere and I absolutely cannot wait to do other succulent arrangements.  They are the perfect plant, both indoors and outside, that add life to a room and are easy to maintain.   

Brush It Off.

I recently stumbled upon a brush holder that was a square container with coffee beans.  I think this is the perfect solution for storing brushes and much easier than rummaging through my makeup bag. I decided to make a brush holder of my own, but I used black beans instead of coffee beans.  I first cleaned my brushes with shampoo and water, let them dry, filled a square glass vase with beans, and then arranged my brushes accordingly.  I've been using this set-up for about 2 weeks now and I love the ease of finding my brushes.  This mini project is so easy, economical, and useful!