Mile High Style.

1.  Liquid Rhombus Scarf, Anthropologie 2.  Leopard Scarf, Diane Von Furstenberg
3.  Le Pilage Travel Bag, Longchamp 4.  Jil Sander Leggings, The Outnet
5. Fisherman Sweater, Asos 6. Training Shoe, Nike 7. Earphones, Apple
8. Haviland Boot, Steve Madden 9. Magazine, InStyle

These days I feel like an airplane is my second home as I'm out-of-town many weekends each month.  Pack. Unpack.  Cycle of my life.  Being comfortable on a plane is a top-priority of mine when traveling.  I carry a big bag, wear a plushy sweater paired with a scarf, and usually resort to black cotton leggings.  I also like to be kind to my feet as the airport usually consists of lots and lots of walking.  Depending on the weather this means kicking back in a pair of boots or sneakers.  Finally, to make the ride more pleasant I bring a good magazine or book and some headphones. Although, to be quite honest I usually just try and catch up on some ZZzzzz's.

Meet Brittany.

Last week In Honor of Design posted about the oh so lovely and talented Brittany Fuson. Kristen ran to me when she saw her site and we both fell head over heels in love with her art work, which she so brilliantly turned into stationary that you can purchase on her website. Her stationary is perfect for anything from recipes cards, to gifts, to birthday cards. I could go on and on but you get the idea. Yesterday Kristen and I were pleasantly (alright, that is an understatement) surprised that one of our past posts inspired Brittany to create the celebration girl you see above. Isn't she a beauty? We can't wait to purchase the print to display in our apartments and maybe pick up a few more items along the way!

Up on the Rooftop.

Dress: Forever21, Shoes: Steve Madden, Watch: Michael Kors

This past weekend the boyfriend arrived in Tampa with a bouquet of flowers.  That smart guy really knows how to put a smile on my face! On Sunday afternoon I decided to throw on this dress, grab the flowers, and head up to the rooftop of my building to snap a few shots.  Now, I do realize that springtime has yet to arrive, but the weather was perfect and I couldn't resist wearing this dress.  And besides, this is sunny Florida we are talking here so it's practically summer all year round.  Key word: practically.  No beach time for this girl just yet!

Twin Tales: Reflection in the Mirror.

Maxi the Giraffe Gazing at Reflection in Mirror, 1980

A few weeks back, Kelly and I started the Twin Tales series with a story on the day we were born.  Today I'm going to continue this series by sharing a story I would usually be too embarrassed to tell, but it's too good NOT to tell!

About 3 years ago, back in the good ol' college days, I had just landed in Miami for spring break and was ready to go enjoy a week of freedom.  My friend had picked me up from the airport and we were heading to go meet up with Kelly and some friends.  She told me to go meet her at a bar I had never been to so I soon as we arrived I gave her a call. RING, RING. No answer. "Hmmm, let's just go inside and see if she is here already," I said. I walk in ahead of my friend, look around, and see Kelly. PERFECT. She's here. And what a cute outfit she is wearing! I wave to grab her attention and she's sees me and waves back.  As I'm walking towards her, BAM, I realize I am walking towards a mirror! I quickly try to recover but it was quite evident to my friend as to what I had just done. Kelly was in a completely different bar all together.  Word got out of this occurrence pretty fast and I don't think anyone will ever let this one down!

Apartment Treasures.

My apartment is a work-in-progress (and will be for as long as I'm here) and I'm constantly looking for new things to add to make the place more my own.  There are many items in my humble abode that put a smile on my face and I couldn't help but want to share them with you. Especially that top little number! Remember the peacock painting from my Christmas list? Wellllllllll, while I didn't get the peacock painting, my wonderful, gracious, and veryyyyy generous boyfriend (alright, I need to stop or else it may get to that head of his) gave me the beautiful painting above by the same artist.  I had shown him this painting months ago, and on Christmas day he sent me on a scavenger hunt around my house to go find my final gift.  I was ecstatic, to say the least, when I opened it! Other items around my place that I love: my gold polka dot napkins, lantern, frames, black cafetera, and crystal shower curtain rings.

Peppermint Grasshoppers.

At our holiday pot luck one of my co-workers brought the most delicious peppermint brownies and I couldn't resist asking for the recipe. Some call them peppermint brownies, others call them grasshopper brownies; I prefer the latter. I finally whipped them up and am sad to see that there are none left. Zero! Zilch! Which is also a good thing since it is a testament to how yummy they were. I made a few alternations from the original recipe and of course, I shared it with you below. There are three layers: a brownie layer, a mint frosting layer, and a hard chocolate topping. A word of advice: break those New Year's resolutions and make them. Fast. I will warn you though, it took a lot of self-control to hold myself back once the brownie layer was baked!

Grasshopper Brownies

1 Box Brownie Mix
2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon peppermint extract (to taste)
3-4 drops food coloring
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
Bake the brownie mix according to the package directions and let cool. To make the brownies easier to lift out of the pan, I lined my pan in tin foil. Note: I also tried baking them without the foil and it worked out great just greasing the pan with butter.

Beat together the confectioners sugar, 1/2 cup of butter, and peppermint extract in a bowl. Spread over the brownie and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

On the stove or in the microwave (I used the microwave for a total of about 45 seconds and it was very easy) melt 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and the semisweet chocolate chips. Spread evenly over the mint icing and refrigerate until firm for about an hour. Remove from the microwave and cut into small, bite-size pieces.

If I Were a Grecco Princess...

... I'd live in this Cinema Gown. Oh, and this little number because we all need some good ol' sweet lingerie! They are both absolutely gorgeous pieces as is the designer Alexandra Grecco herself. I recently came across Alexandra and her blog and couldn't help but get a sudden rush of envy. She basically lives the fabulous life and recently came back from Mexico in what seemed to be the trip of a lifetime (and her beau is quite pleasant on the eyes, if I may say so myself!). This video is from her Fall 2010 collection and I thought is was the perfect combination of cute, quirky, and fun. You can also see the video from her Spring 2011 line here. Hope you enjoy her collection and blog as much as I do (you may find yourself getting green with envy)!

A Walk in the Park.

Top: H&M, Shorts: Zara, Sunglasses: Ray-Ban, Purse: Coach, (Gifted)
Shoes: Sperry Topsider, Watch: Michael Kors, Necklaces: Forever21, Hair Bow: H&M (Gifted)

This past weekend the boyfriend and I decided to do some exploring in downtown Tampa.  This city is all new to me so I was like a kid in a candy shop exploring its unseen beauty! It was also great to get some fresh air after a week of getting over a brutal cold. The day was absolutely wonderful and it inspired me to make an effort to explore more parts of the city.  We finished up the afternoon by stuffing our faces with some delicious pizza down the street and watching a movie at my apartment.  In other words, we sure put some use to the concept of a lazy Sunday afternoon!

Mark Your Calendars.

1.2011 Keep Calm and Carry on Calendar, Amazon  2. 2011 Calendar by Sarah Pinto, Franklin Covey
3. 2011 Karakusa Slim Horizontal, Barnes&Noble  4.  Jonathan Adler Agenda, See Jane Work
5. Stendig 2011 Wall Calendar, Crate and Barrel  6."Good Things Come" in 2011, Etsy
7. 2011 Great Big Wall Calendar, Paper Source

It's been 11 days since the start of the New Year and for me that means its time to buy a new planner! I always wait until after the new year to purchase my planner for the year because I can always find the best prices.  I've included some of my favorites and am still toying with which one I am actually going to go with.  Eeeek! I'm one of those people who can't live without a calendar.  I tried using one of the computer based versions but it didn't seem to go too well with me.  I'm traditional in the fact that I like writing it all down and flipping through the pages.  I've never put up a wall calendar but I think one would be a great addition to my kitchen.  I love the Crate and Barrel one and am hoping they have it in the store! I can't wait to start writing in all the birthdays and events for the year.  As far as penciling in the due dates for bills...not so much.

Trio of Awards.

What a pleasant surprise it was to receive not one, not two, but three Stylish Blogger Awards in the past week.  The two of us couldn't be happier and we deeply appreciate the recognition from these three wonderful bloggers: the stylish Parisian blogger at Gawgus Things, the cute and quirky Lula at Lulapalooza, and the adorable Hayley at The Weekend File.  To follow the tradition of the award, we need to share seven things about ourselves (some are obvious, some not so much):

1. We are identical twins (in case you didn't get the memo)
2. We come from a family of 4 sisters (we are sandwiched in the middle)
3. Our high school freshmen year math teacher used to differentiate the two of us by remembering "Kelly, with an 'L,' long face."  We got a kick out of that one!
4. Our father was our math teacher for most of our High School days which made for an interesting three years
5. We haven't lived in the same city together for almost 6 years. We hope to change that one day soon!
6. Our zodiac sign is Taurus
7. In college, Kelly studied Accounting and Kristen studied Industrial Engineering
   

Additionally, we need to pass the award on to seven other bloggers.  While there are TONS of blogs out there we adore, here is a small sampling of ones we thought are worthy of taking a peak at that you may have not been exposed to just yet. In no particular order, our choices are:

1. A Pretty Little Space.
2. Baubles, Bangles, and Beads.
3. Cookie & Kate.
4. Hearted Girl.
5. Hey Lila Hey.
6. Jennifer and Sherry.
7. Kats Loves Fashion.

My Little Green Thumb.

Remember this little trio from 2 months ago? Didn't think so. Well, to refresh your memory, two months ago I decided to create my own little herb garden right on my very own balcony consisting of cilantro, basil, and cherry tomatoes. I'm here to update you on it's progress and boy am I impressed with myself! More so because I've never grown anything in my life. To all those experienced farmers out there, please bear with me. As you see, I had to re-pot the plants and while the cilantro and basil did grow, I am more impressed with the cherry tomato tree than anything. It started producing little red tomatoes (what a concept) which was SO exciting to me! It grew more than three feet and I had to prop it up with bamboo sticks, which I should have probably done with the basil as well. All in all, while I haven't produced enough tomatoes to start cooking with, I have utilized the basil many times in my cooking.

My Miracle Workers.

When it comes to getting ready in the morning, my beauty routine doesn't get too complicated. I'm a pretty no-fuss girl when it comes to makeup (perhaps only makeup HA) but I wanted to share some of my favorite items with you; items I think REALLY work and are worth every penny! Over the past couple years I have become obsessed with anything by Philosophy or bareMinerals. I really hate the feeling of makeup and have found that the bareMinerals foundation achieves just what I want: great coverage with the barely there feel. WHOA, I need to take it easy there...I don't want to sound like an advertisement but I truly have found it works wonders for me! One thing I really do struggle with is eye makeup. I don't like to look overdone, especially during the day, but would like to experiment more with it. Any thoughts or suggestions on which eye shadows you think are great...like magic, perhaps?

All Bundled Up In My Cowl.

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years! For many of us, including myself, it's back to reality which means no more sleeping in and back to work.  Did I hear a "boo?" Yes, I thought so.

Anyways, ever since I saw a beautiful cowl on Sydney from The Daybook I knew I had to have my own.  I was going to buy one but then I thought to myself "hmmm, I could probably do this myself!" So guess what? I did! While it was a bit of a challenge, it was nonetheless a success (in my mind at least). While it is a bit too heavy for Florida weather, it is perfect for a cold winter up north.  I wore it in New York this past week and it kept me so nice and warm!  I self-taught myself how to do the basic knit stitch from a series of YouTube videos.  The hardest part was starting off since it felt a bit awkward holding the needles in my hands.  In no time, I was knitting away and getting faster by the minute.  This is my first knitted item and I cannot wait to learn more complicated stitches.  Kelly got started on her first cowl too!