Oscar Night

Okay so I've fallen off the posting band wagon but I'm going to try to get back in the groove. Tonight was Oscars night and what kind of post would this be without saying who my picks for best dressed are?! I loved Kerry Washington in a coral Miu Miu gown, Naomi Watts in Armani Prive, Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive, and Charlize Theron in Dior; but my favorite of the night was Zoe Saldana in Alexis Mabille. 

Melissa

Kerry Washington in Miu Miu

Jessica Chastain in Armani Prive

Charlize Theron in Dior

Naomi Watts in Armani Prive

Zoe Saldana in Alexis Mabille

The strawberries taste like strawberries

Valentine's day is less than a week away! So for this Foodie Friday I'm posting a recipe for Strawberry Brownies! I'm usually not a brownie fan unless its really warm and moist and I usually prefer them with walnuts but this strawberry brownie recipe looks too good to pass up. My boyfriend loves brownies so I definitely want to try making these for him around Valentine's day. Here's the recipe!

• Mix strawberry cake mix, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup oil
• Spread in a 9X13 pan
• Bake at 350 degrees for 14 minutes
• For a glaze, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons milk or water
• Pour over the warm brownies
• Bon appetite! 

Chai

Still playing catch up, it's Thirsty Thursday. Today I'm not taking the alcohol route but instead going the Starbucks route. I have a L O V E for Starbucks. I repinned a pin on Pinterest that was about recreating Starbucks drinks. When I don't want a coffee I order a chai tea, which is today's Thirsty Thursday recipe! This recipe was taken from womanfreebies.com.

Starbucks Chai Tea

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups milk
• 6-8 black or decaf black tea bags
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Bring water and milk to a boil. Add other ingredients, return to boil. Turn off the heat and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove tea bags and then filter through a fine strainer. 

Rag&Bone

Time to play catch up again. I've been super busy the past few days and haven't had any time to write so I'll continue where I left off, starting with Wearing Wednesday. Well I am not a model for wearing wednesday today because I am still in sweatpants. It's been an incredibly exhausting day shoveling from the snow. As many know, it's fashion week in New York! So for this Wearing Wednesday I'm going to use a few of my favorite images from Rag and Bone RTW Fall 2013 runway!

From the mess to the masses

To be blatantly obvious, I didn't feel like writing today. I've been having a really rough day and I just want to sit and watch TV or a movie and do nothing. Then I started searching Pinterest. First, I looked under the travel category. Then, when I found the place I wanted to choose, I narrowed it down to just that location and it made me excited to write. I chose Tuscany.

Honestly, I never really thought too much about Tuscany before. I am Italian and I have a love for all things Italian (mostly) and I do love the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" but it never really occurred to me to go travel there. The images that I found via Pinterest are incredible. The landscapes of Tuscany are stunning and everything is so vibrant. I really don't have too much knowledge on Tuscany but it is definitely a place I'm going to look in to some more. 

Melissa

Happenings

Today is the second ManicUre Monday!

With Valentine's approaching, I'm going to make this one fit to the theme. This one uses three different shades of pinks and reds and paper binder protectors to create three different colored tops of hearts.

Incredibly adorable for a date night or just because!

I'm hoping I can stop making my nails look horrible long enough to paint my nails like this for Valentine's Day. On to the next topic, my product development teacher had use do a homework assignment where we had to go to a store and find a new, exciting item. He chose Jeffrey. The moment I walked in I was completely in love. For those of you who have never been there, GO! It's heaven in a building. To see Chanel, Valentino, Louboutin, Stella McCartney, and Manolo Blahnik was almost too much to handle. Of course it depressed me how much a Chanel necklace cost, but I can promise I will work hard to be able to one day have a wardrobe similar to that store. Please go there when you have a chance! It's located at 449 West 14th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. 

http://jeffreynewyork.com/

Melissa

Falling behind.

Okay so my weekend was jammed packed with stuff so I'm gonna play a little catch up now. Starting with Foodie Friday!

For my first Foodie Friday I've chosen a Greek salad sandwich. It reminds me a lot of Panera Bread's Mediterranean veggie sandwich, which is my favorite sandwich there, except the Greek salad sandwich does not have the pesto spread. This recipe calls for: (Makes 4 Servings)

• 
  
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 ounces crumbled feta
• 8 slices rustic bread or olive bread
• 1/2 medium cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced

The directions are:

• In a food processor, pulse chickpeas, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and parsley until finely chopped.
• In a small bowl, stir together onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
• In another small bowl, mash feta with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread chickpea mixture on 4 slices bread. 
• Top with cucumber, tomato, and onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. 
• Spread feta mixture on 4 more bread slices and place on top of sandwiches.

I really want to make this sandwich right now! 

(Thank you Marthastewart.com for this incredible recipe, directions, and photo!)

Up next is Hot Topic Weekend! In today's issue of Women's Wear Daily, there is an article written by Lauren McCarthy titled "Fall 2103 Designer Inspirations: New York Collections, Part One". This article shows images and quotes from the designers about what their inspirations for their new collections are. Here are a big handful of some of my favorite. (Courtesy of Women's Wear Daily)

"Urban Undercover" - Max Azria, BCBG Max Azria

"Maps, aerial views, topographic lines as tools to develop line and form on the body" - Robert Tagliapietra, Costello Tagliapietra

 

"Smoldering" - Jason Wu

"Urban Liberation" - Kenneth Cole

"Space Age femininity" - Rebecca Minkoff

"Form that functions using luxury fabrics to create shape and form. Silhouettes that have structure yet are feminine." - Greg Myler, St. John

"The wardrobe for a modern Joan of Arc, protected and insulated on the streets and in the skyscrapers of Manhattan." - Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty, Suno

"Winter palace." - Tadashi Shoji

"Embracing the technique of classical dressmaking in sculptural silhouettes." - Vera Wang

"Tina Chow or the contradiction between European and Asian Culture." - Catherine Malandrino

"The golden age of Russian Opera. The lavish interiors inspire a glamorous and opulent collection." - Christian Siriano 

"Glam Rock meets movement and delirium." - Diane Von Furstenberg

"Iconic haberdashery details melded with modern chic." - Marissa Webb

"The regal architecture of Saint Petersburg, Russia." - Pamella Roland

- Victoria Beckham 

"Hidden beneath." - Zac Posen

Melissa