Go-To Breakfast Recipes

Remember this post from a few weeks ago? Well I promised I would share the two recipes that I made for the brunch that I hosted before graduation but completely forgot, so here they are! To refresh your memory,   I invited all my family, friends, and their families to a brunch at my apartment the morning of graduation. I had never hosted any more than just my close friends at my place so I wanted to make sure the food I made was going to be delicious but also easy to make since I also had to worry about getting ready that morning! I found these two recipes through Pinterest (my go to for recipes and party hosting tips!) and they seemed perfect for the occasion! They were ridiculously easy to make and impossible to screw up! So many of my guests RAVED about the food! Breakfast has always been my all time favorite meal of the day so I am extremely happy to have two new recipes to make again!

 My mom and me setting up all the food

Everyone chowing down! I miss my little apartment...

Sausage, pepper, and cheddar frittatas / French toast casserole / Spinach, tomato, and parmesan frittatas 

I made two different types of frittatas because one of my good friends is a vegetarian, plus its always nice to have options for people! I chose the recipe because they were made in muffin tins so that they were perfect for guests to serve themselves and also were the perfect portion! Unfortunately though, I forgot to buy a second muffin tin so I just made the sausage one in a pan instead and then cut it up in squares for serving purposes. It still worked great, I would just suggest cooking it a little less if you choose to make it in a pan. The other great thing about this recipe is that you can choose any ingredients you want and get a little creative with it! I just made up these combinations of ingredients off of omelets that I have had in the past at restaurants! This is the recipe that I used technically, but I didn't use the broccoli, vegetable oil, or baking powder and it still turned out great and looked just like the picture! Also, I made this recipe again a few days ago just for myself and chose to use four whole eggs and seven egg whites (same amount of milk and same cooking time) to make it a little healthier and again, it tasted great! They warm up wonderfully too!

For the French Toast Casserole, I used this Paula Deen recipe and made it exactly as the recipe says except I don't like nuts so I omitted the pecans in the topping. I have always wanted to make bread pudding and this sounded very similar so I thought it would be delicious... and it was!!! This was by far the most popular among everyone! Next time I make it, I think diced apples would be AMAZING in it!!

Friday Faves May 25, 2012

Im headed off to Ocean City Maryland with a big group of my favorite girls for the weekend! Hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend!

1. Boscia Luminizing Black Mask / 2. Johann Earl Dress With Lace Insert / 3. Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C Bombe in Multi / 4. Jeffrey Campbell Trudeau Wedge Sandals / 5. Topshop Co-ord Floral Print Shorts / 6. Turquoise Bib / 7. Karina Grimaldi Greece Swim Suit / 8. Kate Spade Fairmont Stripe Pillow / 9. Anthropologie Sugar Coated Necklace

Photos From Lately

Loving these jewelry finds from Target today! The color of these periwinkle earrings are perfection and I plan on wearing these rings stacked or separately all the time!

A new Jonathan Adler notepad will make my list making that much more enjoyable!

For Mother's Day my mom and me walked around Old Town all day because the weather was gorgeous! We stopped in a little cafe called Bittersweet and munched on some mini red velvet cupcakes that were delicious! All their other food looked equally as good! Definitely somewhere I would go again!

Reggae was feeling fancy today. 

Some new bathing suits from Victoria's Secret and H&M for Memorial Day weekend!!

My new Michael Kors watch from Marshall and Kate Spade watch from my mom for graduation! Engraved on the back of the Kate Spade one is my monogram and the year I graduated! Im so excited to FINALLY be expanding my watch wardrobe! Also, here is a little bracelet that I picked up from Anthropologie that I have been wearing daily and my new YSL look-alike ring that I got for $40 online!!! I cant tell the difference! 

My roommate of four years from college gave me the sweetest gift for graduation! Its one of those books that you design online and then they mail it to you. She sectioned the book off by each year of college as well as special events like formals and football games! It is jam packed with sooooo many photos and memories and I absolutely LOVE it!

Three new blazers from Zara that I plan on wearing to my non existent job. Maybe I'll just wear them while sitting on my couch applying to jobs, that should provide for good motivation right? But seriously, these are GORGEOUS in person! Just check out the detail shot of the mint and gold tweed and those spike buttons!!

Reading the new J Crew catalog while sipping on Starbucks on the porch is the perfect morning! Also, remember the sunglasses I mentioned in this Friday Faves? Well my mom got them for me for graduation and they are even better in person! 

Lust VS Must: Diane Von Furstenberg Metallic Wedge Sandals

Lust / Must

Inspiration: The Great Gatsby

Ever since I first heard that they were remaking The Great Gatsby movie, I instantly imagined gorgeous and luxurious costumes galore! And from the looks of the trailer that was just released, I don't think I will be disappointed! I love all the decadence and glitter that goes along with this era and Carrie Muligan pulls off the look stunningly! I have always loved the Art Deco period for not only the fashion, but also the architecture, design, and decor! Here is the trailer for you all to enjoy along with a couple Art Deco inspired fashion picks! 

Get the updated look...

Headband / Heels / Dress / Purse / Earrings / Cuff

Counting Down the Days...

This weekend I will be headed to Ocean City Maryland for lots of fun in the sun with three of my closest friends and I CANNOT wait! It has been rainy and overcast here in Northern Virginia the past couple days which just leaves me daydreaming even more of road trips, bikinis, and suntans! But until then, these fabulous summer/beach themed photos will have to hold me over! I hope they get you as excited for Memorial Day weekend as they do for me!

All photos courtesy of my Random Pretty Things board on Pinterest

In Love With CWonder

Sometimes I feel like my personal style is all over the place! I love preppy and traditional but also love modern and trendy. Well I would have to say that if you could look into my head, it would look ALOT like the CWonder showroom! The design is exactly all of the things I love rolled up into one beautiful showroom! Feminine, preppy, colorful, classic, quirky, and eclectic are all words that come to mind! I have actually been drooling over these showroom photos since the store opened this past winter but I wasn't all that impressed with their first line of products. BUT, their new arrivals for summer are finally up to par to the interior design and they are shooting to the top of my wish lists! The main store is in Soho NY and there is another store in New Jersey (I think thats it as of now but I know they plan on opening more!). The next time I visit New York, this showroom will be the first place I go! Oh, and if the style reminds you of Tory Burch somewhat, well thats because the creator of CWonder used to work for Tory Burch!

Here are my top picks from CWonder! And by the way, all these pieces are VERY affordable!

Quadrille Fabrics + Jack Rogers

I recently saw on a couple blogs that Jack Rogers had paired up with Quadrille Fabrics to create a new line of the classic Navajo sandals so of course I immediately had to find out more! I have one pair of Navajo Jack Rogers in gold (I think they are called platinum though) that I got my freshman year of high school and they are seriously on their last leg! I especially wore them to death last summer when I had my internship at a PR firm in Baltimore where the dress code was business casual with an emphasis on casual. They are just the perfect, just dressy enough, just casual enough sandal that goes with everything in my opinion (at least when they are a neutral)! I need to invest in a new pair and was just going to buy the same gold color but now that I see these super fun printed ones, I am tempted to go the more fun route! The pink ones with the black polka dots are my FAVORITES!

I also LOVE these Jack Rogers espadrilles! 

So then of course after drooling over this new collaboration, I wanted to know a little more about Quadrille Fabrics and I found these gorgeous tunics and tops in an array of bright colors and fun ikat patterns! They are certainly not cheap but they are just so darn fabulous, I had to share! (You can buy these pieces on Taigan!)

Friday Faves May 17, 2012

First off, I want to say I am so sorry for the silence lately!! Since I've moved back home, I just have not been able to get in a set routine and sit down to my computer which is starting to bother me since I am starting to feel very unproductive! I am normally the type of person that makes lists upon lists and loves the feeling of checking off all my "to-dos" so I definitely want to try and get back to that! So expect regular posting EVERYDAY Monday through Friday from here on out! I may even do multiple in one day to make up for my lack of posting the last week! On that note, I hope everyone has a great weekend and check back in on Monday for a new post!

1. Ralph Lauren Create Your Own Classic Cotton Pajama Set / 2. Mikasa Black and Gold Zig Zag Mugs Set of 4 / 3. Ann Taylor Oasis Cabochon Necklace / 4. J Crew Printed Cotton Twill Shorts / 5. Zara Flat Jelly Sandals / 6. Zara Plaited Clutch / 7. Zara T Shirt With Frill At Hem / 8. Love 14K Gold FIlled Necklace by Shopkei on Etsy / 9. Monogramed Jack Rogers Sandals / 10. Kate Spade All In A Days Work iPhone Case / 11. Anthropologie Naknek Bikini / 

Inspired By Palm Print Wallpaper

I have seen this chic palm print wallpaper pop up in a number of interior design photos and I am absolutely obsessed with it! I love how big and graphic it is while still being traditional in many ways. How fabulous is it paired with those hot pink dining room chairs in the last photo?!? When translated into clothing, I think it looks equally as chic! The pattern is kind of retro in a very coba-cabana kind of way which is perfect for summer! I especially loved it paired with classically retro accessories like cat eye sunglasses, crisp white button ups, and hot pink matte lip stain like the outfit in the top row in the middle!

Interior design photos via my Pinterest

tank top / skirt / bikini / dress / pillow

Kreativ Blogger Award

When I first started this blog, I did it as a creative outlet for all those things like fashion and interior design that I never get to explore in school. I had been following many many blogs for a while at that point and had found so much inspiration that I wanted to take it a step further and talk about all the things that I had found that I loved and share them with whoever would be interested! Honestly, each and every new follower I get, I am surprised and flattered! So you can imagine how surprised and flattered I was when I received an email from Shannon over at Polish and Sugar that she had nominated me for a Kreativ Blogger Award! Thank you so much Shannon for reading my blog and enjoying it enough to nominate me!

Now that I have been nominated, the rules go that I must nominate seven other bloggers (I love the idea of paying it forward!) and email them letting them know that you have nominated them, give a little shout out to the blogger that nominated me (thanks again Shannon!!), and then list seven interesting things about yourself that may interest your readers! So, here we go...

Seven Interesting Things About myself:

1. I absolutely love animals and have had a ridiculous amount of pets in my lifetime (a Rotweiler, around 10 hamsters, a bird, a fish, sea monkeys, and right now I have a cat named Sammy, a Bichon Havenese named Chiquita, and my Boston Terrier Reggae)

2. I have a lot of allergies, some mild like chicken, tomatoes, coffee, pork, nuts, and nickel. And some very serious like to fish. I also have many outdoor allergies. 

3. I was originally a Fashion Merchandising student at Auburn until I switched to Graphic Design after my Freshman year. I had always wanted to do Graphic design but the thought of working with computers and technology was intimidating to me! Now I love it!

4. I went to private school from kindergarden to eighth grade where there were only 23 people in my grade. Then, when I went to high school, I chose a public school that had over 800 people in my grade. Talk about a big adjustment!

5. I am slightly addicted to crime solving shows (I could watch Law and Order all day every day)

6. My favorite past time is probably eating... or watching Law and Order haha 

8. I played tennis all through out high school and really regret not playing on a college team!

Now here are seven blogs that I nominate for the Kreativ Blogger Award! I tried to nominate blogs that I thought deserved more exposure or were new to the blogging world like myself! Make sure to visit their blogs and show them some love!

A Serious Southern Shopaholic

Natalie Merrillyn

Ashley In DC

Glam Hampton

Adored By Alex

Let It Be Beautiful

Side Smile Style

Graduation Weekend

Sorry for the lack of posts these past couple days, I graduated on Sunday and had lots of family and friends in town to help celebrate! It was the most emotional, exciting, exhausting weekend of my life and I cannot believe I am an official Auburn graduate! I had the absolute best college experience and made so many friends that I love so much! All day Monday my mom, my mom's boyfriend and I drove back to Fairfax Virginia and now Im just trying to get settled in! Up next is looking for a job and then hopefully moving into an apartment in DC with some girlfriends! I will keep you updated! Here are some pictures from the weekend!

My three other friends Taylor, Kerry, and Alyssa (Im the one on the far right thats about a foot taller than everyone else haha) that also graduated this May in front of the Auburn sign with Samford in the background!

Samford is the prettiest building in Auburn! 

My mom and me! For anyone who was curious which dress I ended up picking, well I ordered a dress and it ended up being WAY too short (Im 5ft 9inches so that tends to happen) and did not have time to order a different dress so I wore this J Crew dress that I got last summer and I actually thought it was perfect for the occasion! 

The morning of graduation, I hosted a little breakfast at my apartment! Most of the food we bought so we didn't have to do so much work the morning of except this homemade sausage, cheese, and pepper frittata, french toast casserole, and spinach, parmesan, and tomato frittata! Everybody LOVED it! Seriously, not to toot my own horn or anything, but people could not stop asking for the recipe and saying how much they loved it! Both were embarrassingly easy to make too! Ill do a post on the recipes one day this week!

My mom and me setting up before guests arrived! I learned everything I know about throwing a good party from my mom and was excited to show off my skills! The menu consisted of bellinis, mimosas, fruit, ham, turkey, tortellini pasta salad, french toast casserole, two types of frittatas, and croissants! 

My mom, me, and Marshall chowing down!

This is kind of an awkward photo but it gives you a little glimpse of what my living room looked like. Im going to miss my little one bedroom!!

Me, Marshall, and Reggae outside my apartment complex right before graduation!