Let them eat cake

There is just something so magical about having the perfect cupcake. They are just so pretty and somehow always seem to taste better than an actual cake. Recently I have become mildly obsessed with all of the cupcake TV shows that have become so popular. It's about time the world realized how wonderful these little baby cakes can be!

Me enjoying the cupcakes from A Cookie and a Cupcake in Cleveland, Ohio

glitzy and glamorous cupcakes

  leaning tower of cupcakes

my newest obsession: dainty cupcakes

Loch Nessie cupcakes! -- so clever!

Sassy lil' cupcake mobile. I think they're on to something though. What if we had cupcake trucks in lieu of ice cream trucks?? genius!!

Lucky Charms cupcakes?! ...the brilliant ideas just keep coming

My personal favorite.

pretty much my motto these days.

Now go eat cupcakes, drink and be merry!

-xoxo.

The Golden Era

Recently, I have been inspired by the fashion that surrounds me in the musical murder mystery comedy "Curtains". I am currently performing in a production of this musical as "Niki Harris", the naive chorus girl who falls in love with a mystery solving detective. The costumes are so beautiful and it leaves you feeling like Doris Day could walk by at any moment with a pot roast for dinner.

I love the 1950's silhouette. I think it is so feminine and can make any girl feel delicate and oh so pretty!

 

What's the best part about these gorgeous dresses you ask? Well, if you ask me it's the fact that (if you're willing to pay a pretty penny) these dresses are still readily available in most vintage shops and online! Here are some dresses I found from a shop call "firefly vintage" on Etsy.com

 

 

Although this skirt doesn't follow the traditional fifties silhouette I just had to post it (and perhaps purchase in the very near future). Classic pieces like this never go out of style. 

-xoxo.

Thrifting for the greater good

Roughly eighty or so percent of my closet comes from some kind of thrift or second hand store. I go thrift store shopping almost every week (usually Wednesdays because it tends to be the universal "half off" day at many thrift stores).

It has become such second nature to me that thrift stores are a great way to get quirky clothing at a bargain price, but I recently had an epiphany that there's no reason that I can't find wonderful items for the home (and my New York apartment in less than a year) at my favorite thrift stores!

Here's a gem I found. So beautiful and dirt cheap!! $11 for both the chair and the pillow :)

I recently stumbled upon the best second hand store named Thrift Nation with one of my good friends.  We fell in love with the vintage treasures (like the shabby chic chair seen above) and more importantly the wonderful mission the owners have dedicated themselves to with this thrift store.

Thrift Nation has made a commitment to sell all of their items at below market prices so that they are affordable to all who come looking for items, but they also give all of their profits to those in need. Thrift Nation splits their profits between two foundations. The first is the Love and Hope Children's Home, a foundation dedicated to helping children in El Salvador. And the second,  Juna Amagara, an organization which provides children in Uganda with safe shelter, quality education, balanced nutrition, health education and vocational training.

-xoxo.

Endings, Beginings, and Everything in Between

So happy to be back and blogging again after a long hiatus. Sometimes life tends to get in the way, but without further ado here is a long awaited post! There are so many things to cover so lets get down to business : )

Today I had the most amazing lunch at a quaint little restaurant called "Treehuggers Cafe." This little cafe makes it their mission to keep the planet and their customers healthy. They only use organic ingredients and have made it their mission to support the local growers of the area by purchasing all seasonal produce locally.  The food was so out of this world that I am already planning my next visit in the near future. 

Our meal started off with some of the most delicious sweet potato fries I've ever had topped with a tangy honey mustard sauce.

And just when we thought it couldn't get any better our entrees came out and made us very happy campers. I ordered Marbled Murrelet Mushroom Panini complete with fresh buffalo mozzarella and pesto.

Both meals looked so amazing so we decided to share. My friend ordered a Black bean cactus burger with avocado and fresh mango salsa. Talk about beautiful food.

So by the end of our organic locally grown food marathon we discovered that they also make pastries!!! ....but they will have to wait until the next visit :)

more coming very soon :)

-xoxo.

Summer time, livin' easy

Since I work basically everyday of the week my family and I love anytime we get to spend together when I have a free day from work. So today I made the drive home and we had the whole family together for a pre-memorial day picnic and it was splendid. Beautiful weather, great food, good wine, and the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing playing in the background...it doesn't get much better than that.

So the outfit for the day was summery and casual.

Tank Top : Hanes pack of 4 - $11.00

Men's Style Button Down Shirt: Thrifted - $2.00

Shorts: On CRAZY sale at Old Navy - $2.50

Ballet Flats: Bitten (SJP's discount clothing line) - $5.00

I spent the morning relaxing with a wonderful Iced Chi Tea from Teavanna, which I must admit I am a total tea junky and love everything from this fabulous store, and a lovely book my mother got for me that explores the world of old Hollywood and the golden age of Broadway, "Underfoot in Show Business" by Helene Hanff.

A little hummingbird nest that fell from a tree in the backyard.

The youngster and I picked flowers after we took the dog for a walk.

Strawberries!!...almost

Summer grilling doesn't get much better than this!

Momma and Skyler playing after a long afternoon in the pool.

 

From begining to end this was a wonderful day and a great way to start the summer! (And if you don't own the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing I recommend you download it asap :)

-xoxo.

Style Muse

I've decided to dedicate this post to the lovely and talented Zooey Deschanel. I think her classic beauty and vintage style make her one of the most interesting people Hollywood has to offer.

Zooey can be seen in many films, my favorite of which include: Elf, Almost Famous, and 500 Days of Summer. She also has a great cameo appearance in Failure to Launch that makes perfect use of her deliciously dry humor.

I don`t want to be a babe. I don`t want vanity to ever get in the way, because I think to maintain that, you have to be aware of yourself all the time, and that gets in the way of acting. My job`s not to be the beautiful person. My job is to be the best actor I can be. "
                                                                        
 

Zooey is also one half of the quirky sound of "She and Him" whose new record just recently released.

I recommend you check it out -- if not the new album, then at the very least check out "Why do you let me stay here?" from She and Him Volume One. It's a great tune for the summer.

Bathing Beauty

So long story short, I have been wearing the same bathing suit since about my sophomore year of high school for no other reason than the fact that I can never find a bathing suit that I like that is in my price range. Well, recently the bathing gods have smiled and I found this simple, understated yet beautiful seafoam green suit on the Victoria's Secret website for only $16... total! Yes, that is combined for both the top and the bottom.

The bandeau style top is also a great way to give the illusion of a more hourglass figure

So to honor my wonderful purchase and  the quickly approaching summer, I went in search of other beautiful bathing suits

I love this image for many reasons, the most of which is of course the lovely Miss Zooey DeChanel.

I'm also currently obsessed with the idea of a swimming cap

And for you Fashion Frugalistas out there I found this gorgeous green suit at Anthropologie (aka - the place where all of the world's most beautiful things live) For about $116 (ouch)

 BUT there is a suit that is almost identical at Old Navy for a fraction of the price.(About $40)

-xoxo.