Weekend Wear: Labor Day - Part 2

So back to said niggly feeling about wearing white after Labor Day - It could be that watching 

Serial Mom in my formative years planted a deep seeded fear that Kathleen Turner, aka "Serial Mom", would seek me out and bludgeon me with the receiver of a pay phone should I decide to rock white shoes after labor day {which is obviously why I'm wearing them before!} - A terrifying and traumatizing prospect indeed, however irrational it may be! 

{If you haven't seen the film, or would like to refresh your memory of how utterly 

psycho-crazypants Ms. Turner got as "Serial Mom", take a look at the scene below}

Phobia aside, yesterday I went the casual route because heck it's a long weekend and you'll definitely need at least one casual comfy outfit for chillaxin, but should you have a soirée to attend. . .

photos by jenny

 {Outfit}

Burlapp for Anthropologie dress (old)

Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps

**BEWARE! SHE IS CRAY CRAY!!!**

Weekend Wear: Labor Day - Part 1

Although I believe the fashion faux pas of yesteryear are dated and no longer truly apply to the fashion world of today, wearing white pantalones after Labor Day will always give me this little niggly feeling. Silly, I know. Who made up this rule anyhow?! Regardless, I'd like to take this opportunity, as it is the final week of August, to rock my crisp whites in all their glory over the next few days! 

photos by jenny

{Outfit}

Rag & Bone Beach top

Free People cut offs

Jimmy Choo espadrilles 

Persol sunglasses

Locke & Co Panama hat

Homemade Chocolate Pie Experiment: aka, The Terrible Awful

If you haven't already read the book and/or seen the film, The Help, I highly recommend both in a major way. This at home experiment was inspired by the character Minny, from The Help, 

and her infamous chocolate pie (sans the "terrible awful", of course). 

I had never tried my hand at a pie before, not that this bears the same level of difficulty as say the likes of a fruit pie, but nevertheless when it comes to any kind of baking my skills are a mixed bag regardless the simplicity of the recipe. I decided right off the bat not to make the pie crust from scratch {the margin of error felt too great!}, so I opted for a pre-formed, frozen pie crust to fill with this chocolatey, fudgy, custard-like filling.

{Recipe}

1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury, or a frozen pie crust pre-formed in the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract {I used pure vanilla powder instead}
1/4 teaspoon salt
Whipped cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until pie crust is set, but not brown.
{If you choose to use a pre-formed frozen pie crust there's no need to pre-bake before filling.}

In a bowl, whisk {or use an electric mixer} to combine the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs {make sure you've beaten the eggs, it does actually seem to make a difference}, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until mixture is smooth.

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. 

Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

*If you want to make this pie ahead, you can easily refrigerate it overnight until serving time!

Survey says: Terrible awful, indeed!!!! This pie is so dang good that I found myself desperately wanting to slay it piece by piece, entirely on my own and before anyone else had a chance to taste it. In fact, I recommend making two pies... you know, just in case you get carried away with the nibbling!

Manicure Monday: Pop Art

I've always loved the look of Lichtenstein art. Reminiscent of classic comic strips, where pictures were composed of hundreds of tiny dots, this pop art style firmly holds its own unique beauty, and having seen a number of comic book inspired prints gone fashion for this upcoming Fall, it only felt appropriate to go Lichtenstein with my mani!

{Nailpolish}: RGB White, Sally Hansen nail pens in red, blue & yellow

Red Rover

When cute dress meets comfort, the result is undoubtedly sublime, and simply sublime is exactly what I think of this sweet little red dress from Anthropologie. Buttery soft fabric, gentle pleating around the waist, dimensional, squiggly, scalloped stripes - I dig it! Twas the perfect frock for a little vintage bauble shopping - Helloooo plaid suitcase.

photos by jenny

 {Outfit}

Scalloped Stripes dress

Christian Louboutin heels

vintage leopard print belt

Tons of Texture

I fell in love with this textured, oversized, completely cozy sweater at ABC Home & Carpet {for those of you who aren't familiar with this store in NYC, it is incredible, and despite the name the store boasts much, much more than just furniture and carpet!}. I wasn't really in the market for anything at the time, but was browsing the floor, killing some time when this dynamic prize caught my eye. 

First came the touch test - Deliciously soft. Next, a closer look at the design - The knit patchwork makes it intriguingly different; And finally, the fit - I opted for a large to maximize comfort. 

Then I noticed the price... $25. SAY WHAT?! Hellooooo Sale!! 

Well, obviously we were meant to be, and honestly I can already tell this is going to be an Autumn favorite of mine, as the cooler air moves in and the chunky knits come out! 

Can you even believe that September is just around the corner?!

photos by jenny

{Outfit}

Gary Graham sweater

Citizens of Humanity jeans

Silver cuff from Albertine General

Persol sunglasses

Coach heels

Wish List: Rag & Bone/A.L.C.

Rag & Bone Pascal Jacket, A.L.C. Locking Cuff, A.L.C. Push Pin necklace, Rag & Bone Raja Midnight jeans, Rag & Bone Beach Tee, A.L.C. Pearl Cage ring, Rag & Bone Keaton sunglasses, Rag & Bone Harrow boots

Have you seen the abundance of absolutely rad denim that Rag & Bone has lined up for Fall?! I'll be the first to admit that I have a denim problem. My denim drawer is overflowing, and I mean literally various pant legs are currently spewing out of it.  I am in no way in need of another pair, but of course that's the sensible side of me speaking, or shall I say writing. There are easily 4 or 5 Rag & Bone pairs that I'd love and I mean loooouuuvvrre to indulge in, but will I? Well, you can be certain to find this pair of Raja Midnight's in my repertoire very soon! 

Above is how I would rock them... Keeping it dark with that incredible black leather jacket and a pair of black Rag & Bone Harrow boots {because the subtle detail makes them the perfect everyday casual ankle boot}, and adding a few seriously cool, utilitarian looking A.L.C. pieces, one of Rag & Bone's Beach Tees {because they feel simply divine and I love the added texture}, some ivory frames and you are good to go! Ah, man. Self control just went right out the window. 

Butterfly Days

A beautiful August day - Not too warm with just the right amount of breeze. Butterflies felt appropriate for lazing around in the late Summer sun.

photos by jenny

{Outfit}

Anthropologie Elevenses butterfly jacket

Theory pleated skirt

Rag & Bone Wessex booties

Pin Stripes & Bell Bottoms

photos by jenny

{Outfit}

Nanette Lepore bustier

Citizens of Humanity Jeans Angie Super Flare

Coach heels

Silly Simple Solution: Dry Hands

Have you ever mulled over a problem for a good long while, wondering what the best way is to deal with it and then WHAM, like you've been hit by a mack truck, the solution comes to you and it's so simple that you feel absolutely silly for not thinking of it to begin with?! Well, I was feeling pretty stupid silly this morning when a simple solution to my problem dawned on me. 

I had been hemming and hawing for weeks about how dry and flakey the skin on the back of my hands has been. I haven't got a clue what's causing it {hand soap that's too harsh?} Regardless of the cause, the dry skin was driving me nuts. My hands would get creepily ashy SUPER fast after washing them, and even just rinsing them took its toll. I was constantly having to slather lotion on my hands, but I knew that even though I was moisturizing them I wasn't addressing the dead skin that needed to be sloughed off.  So this morning as I was about to dash out to the store to get some kind of exfoliating scrub that would have likely cost me somewhere around $30, a lightbulb went off in my head. 

Being a big fan of DIY/ at home remedies I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought to make and mix my own exfoliating scrub - Surely I had the ingredients to do so! I opened up my pantry and there they were: The ingredients {a whopping TWO, I might add}, Unrefined Coconut Oil and Organic Brown Sugar. Perfect! Totally simple, right?! 

I mixed 1 tablespoon of brown sugar with 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and dug in, grabbing the lot of it in my hands and beginning to scrub. You don't need to scrub hard for this mixture to be effective. The brown sugar is perfect - Coarse enough to exfoliate, yet gentle enough not to damage your skin or leave it feeling shredded. Coconut oil is the naturally soothing and ultra moisturizing aspect of this dry skin fighting duo. Scrub for 1 - 2 minutes, rinse and bask in the glory of your absolutely silky smooth hands. 

Dry skin - Gone. Hands - Moisturized and soft. Problem - Solved!

Homemade Nutella Experiment

Is it safe to assume that you've all tried the delicious wonder that is Nutella? Whether it was en crêpe, an accompaniment to fruit, or simply a spoon full taken right from the jar, no matter how you slice it, or should I say spread it, Nutella is scrum-diddly-umptious. That being said, as of late I've been making an effort to lay off the super sugary sweets, and it has been a serious challenge to say the least, especially when our apartment happens to be on a Mr. Softee truck's night time route {every night around 8:30pm. Yeah, I own a Mr. Softee frequent buyer card... It's just so dang good! but I digress}. 

There's no doubt about it, this journey away from sugar has forced me to get creative about how to satisfy my seemingly insatiable sweet tooth and has lead to many a homemade dessert experiment. Clearly my latest experiment was with homemade Nutella. Sounds easy enough, right? Heck, that Nutella commercial on TV these days touts Nutella's simplicity and natural ingredients 

{"hazelnuts, cocoa, and milk"} so I thought to myself, how difficult can this be?! 

The answer? Pretty easy peasy! This recipe happens to be sugar-free and natural, but I have to admit that subbing honey for sugar and not utilizing a chocolate bar {as many recipes suggest} results in a much nuttier, less sweet version of my favorite smear-able treat. Don't get me wrong, it's yummy, really yummy, but it doesn't have that sinful taste which, in retrospect, actually may be a testament to it being a healthier alternative to the original. 

{Recipe}:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of hazelnuts

1/4 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup of milk {I used heavy whipping cream for the heck of it}

4 tablespoons of honey

1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla 

1/4 cup of coconut oil

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and evenly distribute your hazelnuts on a cookie sheet;

Toast hazelnuts for 10 minutes and then set aside to cool;

In a mixing bowl combine cocoa powder, milk, honey and vanilla;

Once hazelnuts have cooled remove their skin {they should come off very easily just by rubbing them together} and place hazelnuts with skin removed into a plastic ziplock back;

Pulverize hazelnuts into small bits {yes, I used a hammer to do this, and I really just wanted to use the word pulverize!}, and then pour into a food processor along with the coconut oil;

Process until you've reached a creamy consistency {mine remained every so slightly grainy} and combine with the rest of the ingredients until well blended ~ Et viola! 

Enjoy!