Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Falling for Fashion


Well folks, it is upon us. The weather is turning colder, the days are becoming shorter and it's about time to cover up all that skin. Fall is here.

When I think of September, I think of back-to-school and what's the best part about back-to-school? Why, the new wardrobe of course! Naturally, every season requires a few new items to make it through the change in weather but for some reason, I equate autumn with a big shopping spree to replenish the sweaters and boots and jeans for the coming cold.

Those of you that know me may be thinking, "You're not a student anymore and you aren't going back to school this fall." To you I say, "pish posh, just because I'm not going back to school does not mean I don't need a new fall wardrobe!" Obviously people.

Although I do not claim to be a particularly stylish girl, here are a few of the styles and items that will be likely to end up in my wardrobe before the season is in full swing!


Umm... this sweater..... need I say more??


Hunters and Cable-knit leggings. Love!


Maybe not this exact Proenza Schouler satchel cause I don't have THAT big of a shopping budget but isn't is lovely. A knock-off might be in the cards.


Okay, a yellow cardi is actually already one of the newest editions to my closet.... i die. Actually mustard is truly my favorite color for clothing right now and I adore how it pops with navy and white! You'll be seeing a lot more mustard throughout this list....


Turning you're favorite summer dresses into go-to autumn outfits with cardis, boots, scarves and knee-high socks is genius. I am LOVING this idea for fall this year and will definitely be sporting it on a regular basis! Look at that list of delightful combinations!

This outfit pretty much looks like perfection to me.... I'm obsessed with brown riding boots, desperate for a pair. I'm also head-over-heels for peacock right now and the earrings tie the brown leather and teal scarf together perfectly. Dark denim obviously completes any outfit. What's not to love?

Kim's got this style right although for mid-late fall I'd throw some cute leather booties on instead of the sandals. I'm really into casual khakis and blazers right now!

The coolest girl. I love fedoras a great deal and this cool style makes me want to stock my wardrobe full of 'em. I want to be this cool.

This knee-high sock business is a VERY good thing in my opinion. I think they're perfect sticking out the top of high boots or all on they're own with a pair of flats. Say yes to knee-highs!

Did I mention I NEED brown riding boots? I like these Frye ones but anything along these lines would work..... can't get enough boots!

Scarves are obviously a staple accessory for fall and winter. They're great because you can start off with something cool and light-weight near the beginning of the season and progress to a heavier, bulkier knit as the weather gets colder. They're also a great, easy and inexpensive way to style up any outfit in the fall. Definitely an accessory worth getting into.


Well, now that you know a few of my fall fashion desires, what do you have on your mind for this back-to-school shopping season??



Happy Shopping!
-K

Friday, July 29, 2011

Foodie Fridays: Gnocchi Mac 'n Cheese

I saw this recipe for Gnocchi Mac 'n Cheese online a while back and when a Mac 'N Cheese craving arose, I had to try this variation. I've had gnocchi (small dumpling pasta commonly made with potato) before and who doesn't love M 'n C so it had to be good. IT WAS!

{the Cutting Edge of Ordinary}
The recipe is SUPER quick and easy. I used Gruyere and Cheddar (instead of Fontina) because I already had cheddar at home and it worked out just fine... better than fine, really, it was delish!

Here's the recipe copied from Noble Pig who apparently got it from From Cuisine at Home (?):

1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
2 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Basil leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 375o F. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions.  Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon.  Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful.  Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top.  Bake gnocchi until they puff and cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.


The Results:
{Noble Pig}
Happy Cheese!


K

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Shower Her With Love: Rebecca's Baby (Boy) Shower Part 3

Food and Fun.

My Mom offered to help with food which was fantastic! She did all the grocery shopping (and footed the bill) and made her wonderful home-made quiche. We made a veggie plate with onion garlic dip, home-made spinach dip, and had all the fixins for sandwiches (since the party took place over lunch-time).

For beverages we had iced-tea and blue punch which I made with blue rasp Kool-Aid, white grape juice, and 7-up. Delish!

I made marshmellow pop "rattles" with blue melting wafers and sprinkles. This was a WAY easy alternative to cake pops and turned out really cute!


My Mom's friend made the cake - a WONDERFUL teddy bear cake with insane amounts of detail! It must have taken her forever and cost a lot to make and it was delicious when we (sadly) finally cut into it! I can't even imagine being this talented a cake-decorator (it isn't even her job) but I aspire to be this creative someday!
For games we kept it simple. It wasn't a very long shower and between eating and presents and visiting there wasn't a ton of time. We played Baby Shower Bingo (I made bingo cards but you can buy them at Michael's too) during the present opening and did Bib decorating as the second game.
In the end, the guest of honor (and the little guy in her belly) had fun and good food and was really grateful to myself and our Mother and I couldn't have been happier at the result (unless maybe the surprise worked out but oh well!)!

I highly recommend throwing showers (baby, wedding, engagement, i-love-you, any kind!) for the ones you love and putting some thought and time into the decorations, food, and fun because it is SO rewarding and so much fun!

Alas, an end to my "Shower Her With Love" series of posts!

Happy Showering!

K

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Shower Her With Love: Rebecca's Baby (Boy) Shower Part 2

The decorations. I got a LOT of inspiration for this from Pinterest where, it seems, many other very talented people have hosted lovely shower themed showers. Here are some of my inspiration sources and their wonderful work:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66411911/printable-baptism-or-christening-circle 
http://partyperfectblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/baby-shower.html
http://www2.fiskars.com/Activities/Crafting/Articles/Baby-Shower
I didn't go too crazy with decorations since my parents weren't thrilled about the idea of holes in their walls and ceiling so I stuck mainly to "clouds" and "rain" with some clothes lines for gifts.

I made tissue paper poms from this Martha Stewart tutorial (she really does know everything) and they turned out to be quite easy though slightly time consuming. You can make them any size and depending on how you cut the edges they can have very different effects.

I also made "rain" using cardstock in a variety of blues and fishing line (which my Dad has in no short supply!). I found it easiest to make heart shapes and then fold them in half and glue them over the fishing line. I tied these to the "clouds" and had a "rainy day" waiting for the Baby Shower.

I also found adoarble extra-large blue clothespins in the discount bin at Michael's and HAD to use them so I strung up "clothes lines" and hung up my present (jeans and a polo shirt - this is funny if you know my brother-in-law/Rebecca's Husband/the-father-to-be, Michael because he ALWAYS wears jeans and a blue polo) rather than wrapping it. I know, I know, kind of contradicting the "rainy day" theme but SO cute, right?! My work:


A few pictures back you may have caught a very tiny glimpse of my FAVORITE part of the decorations - a DIAPER CAKE! I got the idea for this type of diaper cake from here and I think I pulled it off pretty nicely!

I made three cardboard rings in different sizes (middle size with a whole in it) and decorated them with blue wrapping paper and doilies. I then rolled up diapers (image side in so they're mostly all white) and tied them with clear elastic bands. I arranged the diapers on each tier with a wrapping-paper roll extending from the bottom tier through the middle tier and supporting the top tier. I wrapped a ribbon around the diapers in each tier and topped the "cake" with some flowers. I also arranged a few flowers on each tier to cover up the areas where I pinned the ribbon. The results:

Not bad for a first-timer, eh? Rebecca loved it so much that she INSISTED on bringing it home whole which meant it rode in the car between Kyra and I for the ENTIRE 5 hour drive to Vancouver from Savona. To be honest, I didn't really have the heart to dismantle the beautiful creation I'd spent so much time on so it was worth it to sit next to a diaper cake all the way home!

All in all, I found decorating a lot of fun and not all that expensive (dollar stores helped!) and a little bit makes a BIG impact! I'd be happy to help decorate a shower (or soiree of any sort) in the future - in fact, I think this might be my DREAM career!

Happy Decorating!

K

Friday, July 22, 2011

Foodie Fridays: Bean Brothers Cafe

In my old neighbourhood, Kerrisdale, I frequented a cute little cafe known as Bean Brothers. This little gem on West 41st was always packed (despite a Starbucks 2 doors down and another few cafes on the block) and for good reason. They offer delicious coffee and tea (in any variety imaginable), fresh baked pastries and desserts and have a kitchen of homemade goodies available all day.


My all-time favorites? Their all-day Eggs Benedict (which comes with either ham, spinach and mushrooms, or smoked salmon though I usually get it with Bacon!) which has the BEST hollandaise sauce EVER and a nice warm mug of Raspberry Mocha (with amazing chocolate whipped cream!).

They have a woodstone oven for pizzas, make fresh deli sandwiches on fresh baked bread and have classics like mac and cheese, lasagna and soup ready to go every day. They cater too! And did I mention the all-day breakfast?!


I had a monster craving for Bean last week so a couple of friends and I made a stop here for brunch and it's still going strong! Check it out when you're in the area!

Happy Breakfasting.

K

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Shower Her With Love: Rebecca's Baby (Boy) Shower Part 1

 One of my sisters, Rebecca, is pregnant!!! (for the 2nd time) and I decided to throw her a baby shower at our parents' home in Kamloops (well, Savona, but close to Kamloops). Her first child, my niece Kyra, came while I was still in University (aka broke!) so I didn't really have a budget to work with then and my other sister's daughter, my niece Avery, is allll the way over the water in England so baby-shower-ing was a challenge (we did a shower in a box!). Thus, this is the first shower I've gotten to do where I could let loose my artistic-ness and that's exactly what I did!

I was hitchin' a ride with Rebecca and her family to Kamloops and then we were all staying together at my parent's house so I had to do a lot of the prep ahead of time and keep it very condensed for travelling. In the end, the surprise didn't work out - NEVER try to surprise Rebecca, it's an incredible headache! - but she was thrilled all the same.

The first step, of course, was theme. Oh ya, did I mention: it's a boy! I decided to go with a "shower" theme: what better theme for a shower than a shower, right?! Plus, rain is blue so perfect for a boy!

I pre-made party favors and also a small "Shower Her With Love" card for each guest to write a small piece of advice, love, memory, joke, etc and their choice of baby name from the top contenders Rebecca has picked out. Later, I can put these little notes together with photos for my nephew's scrapbook (my nieces both have one in the works since their births!).
"Take Home Treats" - Small "soother" candies in home-made candy bags.  
"Shower Her With Love" - think of it like party favors for Rebecca from each guest!

This was just the beginning of my party planning! Stay tuned for more on Rebecca's Baby Shower in the near future!


Happy Showering!

K