Style Idol - Sharon Tate

wishlist wednesday

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Style Idol - Jayne Mansfield

the happiest place on earth

If you watched my Packing for Disney World video you'll know that I was very torn between dressing up or just being lazy and wearing leggings (or maybe dressing up and changing into jeans or leggings each night?) I decided to pack enough clothes to decide once I was in Florida, and I ended up splitting it about half and half - I wore cute clothes three days and went super casual the other four. It was the best of both (Disney) worlds! Total, complete comfort a couple days and photo-worthy cuteness on the others! :D

dress - modcloth | ears - etsy

recipe: roasted vegetable pot pie

I'm hosting my first Easter dinner tomorrow and I'm cooking up individual veggie pot pies for everyone! I decided to do a test-run of my recipe to make sure it would be peak delicious, and so I would have time to tweak anything that needed to be changed before I make the actual dinner tomorrow. One great thing about this recipe is that you can make the filling the day beforehand, and refrigerate it. So that will cut my actual cooking time on Easter in half! I also did my test-run with pre packaged pie crust but tomorrow I'll be using my mom's homemade crust recipe, which I'm including below.

This came out exactly how I wanted it to. The roasted vegetables make this different from a normal pot pie, but it still has the kind of classic comfort food feeling that I was going for. I think this will definitely be my go-to recipe for Easter every year now!

I wanted to make sizable individual pies, so I used these 24oz baking dishes. This recipe will make six 24oz pot pies.

Vegetables
1 bag of carrot sticks
2 large zucchini
2 pounds asparagus
2 bags of frozen green beans
2 leeks (white and light green parts only)
2 pounds of potatoes, skin on
1 pound of sweet potatoes, skin on
1 c. corn
1 head of garlic

First chop all of your fresh vegetables and garlic into small bite sized pieces. Toss them with a little olive oil and sea salt and then roast at 400' for 30 minutes. I pre-microwaved my potatoes and my frozen green beans and corn before roasting them so that they were fully cooked before going in the oven to get crispy.

Filling
3 c. vegetable broth
6 tbsp. flour (or corn starch)
1/2 tsp. tarragon
1/2 tsp. parsley
pink sea salt to taste

Whisk the ingredients for the filling on low/medium heat in a saucepan until the mixture starts to thicken. Keep stirring so that it doesn't get clumpy! When it's nice and thick, take it off the heat and mix it with all of your roasted vegetables. Then fill your baking dishes with the mixture.

Crust
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. oil
3 tbsp. water

Mix flour, salt, and oil and then add water. Combine to form your pastry dough and then roll out. I cut out my crusts by placing an empty baking dish on top of the dough and tracing around the circle with a butter knife. Then just use a fork to create ridges along the edge of the pie crust in the baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 400' oven and let cool before enjoying!



I'm also making a gluten free crust for my Grandmom, who has Celiac. This is the recipe for the pie crust that I make for her:

Gluten Free Crust
2c. gluten free flour
4 tbsp. melted coconut oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. water

It's difficult to roll this out so I just sort of piece it together. But it tastes very close to the real thing!

great big beautiful tomorrow

I'm back from Disney World! I enjoyed being there so much that it felt like my trip flew right by, but I also missed Arrietty so much that I felt like I was gone for 2 months. Isn't it weird how you can simultaneously feel like a substantial amount of time has passed, and that none has passed at all?

I really had a good time though, and I made so many wonderful memories. One of my favorites was on our last night in The Magic Kingdom when it started pouring rain, and me and my brother decided to buy ponchos and stay in the park while everyone else hurried out into the parking lot. There was no wait for any of the rides we went on, and the park was practically deserted! Even on our normal standing-room-only bus ride back to the hotel we were the only passengers!

I also had so much good food. Omg! The Epcot Flower and Garden festival was going on while I was there, and the Roasted Cauliflower that I tried at their honey stand was *chef's kiss.* I ate THREE of them!! And we had dinner at Tony's Town Square at Magic Kingdom where I got gnocchi with veggies and pesto and it was out of this world. They make the gnocchi on site and I don't want to be one of those people (or maybe I do..) but it was the best gnocchi I've tried outside of Italy.

All in all it was just a really beautiful vacation and totally worth the wicked sunburn that I'm suffering through this week (ouch!)

dress - modcloth (old) | cardigan - amazon | shoes - bait footwear

video: my skincare routine

For this week's video I thought I'd share my skincare routine! I have very sensitive, very dry skin and I have rosacea, so finding products that don't irritate my skin is a battle. And finding ones that make my skin look nice and glowy and hydrated and healthy is even harder. But the routine I've been using for about six months has been working wonders for me, and I talk about it in this video. I also included links to all of the products in my video description box on youtube, here.

I hope you like this video, and please consider subscribing if you haven't yet! :)

wishlist wednesday

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Style Idol - Vanessa Redgrave

suburban serendipity

A few days ago I had to go to Old Navy to buy a pair of flip-flops for my Disney trip (last time I was at a hotel with a swimming pool I totally forgot about footwear and had to make the impossible choice between wearing very nice shoes to go to the pool, or walking out of my hotel room completely barefoot) and when I got out of the car there was music in the air. It's one of those standard American shopping centers with an Old Navy, a Kohl's, and a Red Robin. The kind where you have to get back in your car and drive from store to store because they're spaced so far apart (I'll save my "indoor shopping malls were so much better than this!!" rant for another day.)

I walked around a little to try to see where the music was coming from, and saw a man playing an accordion outside of a Modell's sporting goods store. One of the things that I love about cities is how many times you're treated to someone playing their music outdoors, but I hardly ever get to experience that kind of beautiful serendipity in suburbia. It was so lovely.

dress - modcloth | sweater - amazon

shoes - bait footwear

DIY easter bunny apron

This year will be my first year hosting Easter dinner for my family, and you know me.. I am going overboard. I'm so obsessed with the idea of forming new traditions with this dinner, so every decision has been something that I want to last for years to come. I got Beatrix Potter plates and carrot patterned cloth napkins, some incredibly cute wicker bunny decorations for the centerpiece, and little carrot shaped drawstring bags that I'll fill with goodies for each guest. Every year we go over my grandmom's for Christmas breakfast and I've always loved seeing the same decorations come out each year, the same sugar bowl, the same pastries from a local bakery. I want my family to feel that way about my Easter dinner. Ten or twenty years from now they'll be like "Yay! The Beatrix Potter plates!" or "I was looking forward to your vegetable pot pie all year!" I will definitely take photos and share details about my dinner afterwards, but today I wanted to show you a really easy quick DIY I whipped up!

I wanted a cute apron to wear on Easter while I'm cooking, since I'll want to be dressed in my Finest Pastels but I do not want to get food all over them. This apron is so incredibly easy to make -- and the only tools you need to make it are hot glue and scissors!



Materials needed:

Plain cotton apron (I got mine at Michaels)
Grey yarn
Wooden buttons
Pink and cream colored felt



Cut out two bunny ears from the cream fabric, and then two smaller bunny-ear shapes from the pink. Hot glue the pink shapes onto the cream shapes to form your ears!

Then simply hot glue the bunny ear pieces onto the straps of your apron (I attached the bottom of the ear to each corner of the apron, and then ran hot glue along the length of strap that the ear would be covering.) Hot glue the buttons on for eyes, and hot glue strips of yarn on to make a nose and whiskers. You could definitely sew this on, too, if you have the right needle for it! I just wanted to whip this up quickly and hot glue was easiest!

And voila - you have a cute little bunny apron for Easter!

six seasons

Every once in a while I randomly pick a month in my blog archive and re-read some of my old posts. I've said this so many times, but my blog is kind of like a diary to me and there are so many memories that I've shared here that I haven't written down anywhere else. Tonight I clicked on May 2013 and realized that was when I went to The Office convention in Scranton (six years ago?? REALLY?) Reading this post was the most wonderful stroll down memory lane. I had forgotten some of the details, like Rainn Wilson giving Dwight's speech on stage or how surprised Greg Daniels was when I asked for a photo with him. I'm constantly in the middle of rewatching The Office, but reading my post and reliving that amazing weekend just makes me want to go back to episode 1 and start all over again for the thousandth time!

sweater - amazon | skirt - modcloth

shoes - bait footwear | shirt - sammi's closet sale

video: packing for Disney World!

If you're curious what I decided to pack for my trip to Disney World, here you go! I actually decided what to pack as I was filming this, and ended up adding a few things after I was done.. oops! Assuming I make good on my promise to film a video in Disney you'll likely be seeing what sartorial choices I made and whether or not I decided to dress Cute or Lazy, lol!

This is probably the most fun I've had making a video so far, so I really hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed filming it! And if you do, please consider hopping over to my channel to give it a thumbs up and hopefully subscribe :)



ps. I linked to all of the t-shirts and dresses in the description box on my youtube video :)

wishlist wednesday

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Style Idol - Goldie Hawn

I scream, you scream

This weekend me and my dad went out for our first ice cream of the season (or sorbet, in my case) and it was just so nice! I love that every year there's always that one day, usually a week or two after the official start of spring, when it actually *feels* like spring for the first time. Like magic the weather changes overnight. You needed a winter coat to go out the day before, but today a light sweater or jacket would almost be too much. All of the trees were barren when you fell asleep, but suddenly there are pink buds everywhere you turn. People are coming out of their houses and walking around the town like bears coming out of hibernation. The fountain on the Princeton campus was turned on, and the line for ice cream was at least 25 people long.

I know that as soon as I see my first thousand-legger crawling above my bed frame or as soon as a giant wasp chases me away from my mailbox I'll start to bemoan the arrival of spring, but for now I want to hold onto this feeling and enjoy the change in the seasons. There is just something so beautiful and refreshing about the start of spring that I don't think I ever really appreciated until I got really sick last winter. Now I'm not taking it for granted, and I'm fully enjoying this annual renewal of life and beauty and sunshine.

dress - vintage | collar - amazon

shoes - karmaloop | belt - old

my top five: movies I'd want to see at TCMFF if I was going

This time each year for the last five years I'm usually packing my bags to head for Hollywood, where the annual TCM Film Festival (TCMFF) is taking place. I decided to forgo the trip this year and go to Disney World with my family instead, mostly so that I'd be having so much fun next week that I wouldn't even notice all of my friends hanging out in tinseltown watching movies without me! But I can't say it's worked 100% -- I am definitely having some withdrawal and there are a few movies being screened this year that I really wish I could see at the festival. So here are my top five movies I would want to see at TCMFF this year... if I was going.

1. Day for Night - I'm being greedy because I actually already saw this at the Film Society at Lincoln Center two years ago, but it's one of my favorite films by my all time favorite director, Francois Truffaut. And the star, Jaqueline Bisset, will be present for a discussion before the movie! This movie is a pure delight, and a beautiful ode to the art of moviemaking -- if you love movies as much as I do, you should check this out even if you won't be at TCMFF!

2. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - I think this is going to be absolutely DAZZLING on a big screen! I can't even imagine! The colors in this movie already pop off the screen when you're watching an old worn out VHS tape on a tiny tv screen at home. And Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" number is going to be just gorgeous. Plus I'd imagine that this is going to get a really fun audience and few things are as exhilarating as watching a movie you love surrounded by people who are enjoying it just as much as you are!

3. Indiscreet - This 1958 pairing of Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant is one of my go-to movies whenever I need a pick me up. I forgot myself for a minute when it was first announced on the schedule and got VERY excited about seeing it, and then came back down to earth and remembered I won't be there. But I hope it gets a jam-packed audience because it really deserves it. It's so underrated and not as well known as it should be.

4. Love Affair -  Oh, how I love this movie!! Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne have a sizzling but comfortable chemistry and play so well off of each other. An Affair to Remember is a remake of this film, and as much as I adore it (A LOT) I think I actually prefer Love Affair. That's how great this movie is.

5. Ocean's 11 - I am such a sucker for a good heist film, and this one is a BLAST!! I've been obsessed with this movie since I was 13 years old, and my first cell phone voicemail message was Frank Sinatra's character saying "Hello, you've dialed the right number. Now please hang up and don't do it again." Words can't describe how jealous I am of every person who's going to be watching this poolside at the Roosevelt Hotel, with Angie Dickinson in attendance no less!!

I'm sure once I board my plane for Orlando all of my FOMO will stay behind in New Jersey, but the days leading up to the festival are definitely a challenge if you aren't going to be there! I'm really going to miss some of my friends, and BOY am I going to miss food from Mel's Diner (someone please get the eggs verde so I can live vicariously!)

video: episode 1 of Re-clutter!

I've had this idea skipping around in my head for a while, but the recent trend towards minimalism and decluttering really made me want to sit down and finally get this started. I would consider myself a maximalist, since I love pattern and color and being surrounded by things that I love. I feel so much more comfortable in homes where people have poured their personalities onto the walls than in ones that still resemble a model showroom. But I think a lot of people mistakenly believe that organization is only achievable through minimalism, and that's just not so!

In my new series, which I'm calling "Re-clutter" (like, the opposite of declutter) I'll be sharing tips and tricks for organizing and tidying your space without throwing everything out or sacrificing personality. I'm planning on sharing one new Re-clutter episode each month, and I'll still be doing my other videos weekly. I'm so excited about this project and I hope you enjoy it!!

And as always if you do like the video please head over to my channel to give it a thumbs up and (hopefully!) subscribe :)

be kind, rewind

My old VCR bit the dust (a thrift store copy of E.T. is what finally did it in) and OH MY GOSH are VCRs expensive now. Do you remember when you could buy one at K-Mart for like $20?! (Am I really dating myself here??) I wish I had stocked up when they were that cheap, because their scarcity has made them insanely pricey now. I've been checking Amazon and Ebay every so often trying to find an affordable replacement, and last week I finally found somebody selling a 13" TV/VCR combo for a steal. Every other listing on ebay was *at least* 5x the price of the one I managed to snag so I feel incredibly lucky! It arrived in the mail yesterday and I christened it with a tape of Barbara Stanwyck movies that I recorded off TCM when I was a teenager. It's such a relief that I can still watch all of my tapes now, including all of our old home movies! My dad found one from our 1995 trip to Disney World and Nickelodeon Studios that I can't wait to watch!

dress - dangerfield | cardigan - amazon

shoes - bait footwear | necklace - vintage

wishlist wednesday

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Style Idol - Betty Grable