Hearts On Fire Diamonds Event

I was invited to an event at the Hearts On Fire headquarters last week and almost yelped when I got the invitation. A night where I can try on diamonds, drink wine and eat cheese with other bloggers? Yes please!!!

The event was so much fun and I got to meet the new jewelry designer for the brand, Ilaria Lanzoni. She was so sweet and passionate about her latest designs - you tell just from talking to her for a few minutes how creative and talented she is!

from left to right: 

Jaime from La Vie J'aime, yours truly, designer Ilaria,

Juliette from Infinite Style and Angela from Instant Milk

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Friday! I don't have any major plans for this weekend, but I'm hoping to get out and enjoy some of the nice fall weather we're supposed to have here in Boston tomorrow. On Sunday I'm having brunch and going shopping with Chelsea which should be pretty fun! What are you all up to?

Runway Inspiration: Sweaters & Skirts

There have been SO many amazing looks from the Spring 2014 RTW collections that I have been pinning to my catwalk board like a madwoman. I'm going to be posting a lot of runway inspiration over the next week or two, so I hope you all are okay with that! ;) One of the trends I noticed and love is the mixing of a slouchy sweater with a pretty skirt, whether it's mini, midi or maxi. Sweaters and skirts together aren't really a new thing, I know, but I love this unexpected mix of casual on the top and dressy on the bottom. I'm going to start wearing my sequin skirts with menswear inspired sweaters for the fall and spring months. How do you feel about this trend?

Burberry Prorsum

Jason Wu

Christopher Kane

Cream Cheese Filled Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Now that it's officially fall, I guess it's time for me to start baking some seasonal recipes! I was planning to have this cookie recipe ready for you guys last week, but due to a series of unfortunate events, I wasn't able to bake them. But my friend Jen let me use her oven so all of the batter didn't go to waste...yay!!

These cookies are so good - crispy and sugary on the outside, soft and pumpkiny on the inside and then filled with a cream cheese center. I had to stop myself from eating all of them, which is really rare for me!! {Cream cheese is my weakness though...} Try these out for the fall and let me know what you think!

What I Wore: Leather & Pearls

Happy Tuesday! For my friend Ellie's 30th birthday celebration, we went out for dinner and drinks on the waterfront. I had a lot of fun putting this outfit together because it included a few of my favorite things - blush pink, leather, feathers and a sparkly necklace! I also got to wear my new Pour La Victoire sandals for the first time and I am obsessed with them. Thanks to Ellie for snapping the photos of me :)

Lately on Instagram...

I hope everyone had a fun weekend! I had a busy one, but I wanted to tell you about the great experience I had at the Seaport Hotel on Friday before sharing the other photos that show what I've been up to lately.

Ellie and I won a free night at the Seaport Hotel at a fundraiser for the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and we decided to use it on the night of her 30th birthday for a staycation! I called ahead to ask the concierge if they could fill her room with balloons for a fun surprise, and both Paul and Betty helped me out. They were super nice, responsive and accommodating and I would definitely recommend them to make your stay special.

They also surprised Ellie with this complimentary cheese plate and nice birthday note! :) I had no idea this was coming so it was really a special touch.

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

I am so excited for this weekend! Tonight I'm celebrating my friend Ellie's 30th birthday with dinner, drinks and a staycation at the Seaport Hotel in Boston! Tomorrow night I get to celebrate Cordy's 27th birthday with dinner and drinks in the South End, and on Sunday, I'll likely be exhausted and a tad hungover. ;) What are you up to this weekend?

PS: My favorite salon for manis & pedis, Miniluxe, is selling all of their nail polish 'buy one get one free' this month in all of their locations. Their polishes are eco-friendly and cost $8/bottle for the regular size and $4/bottle for the minis. I'm definitely stocking up and wanted to spread the word!

Now, on to the quotes!

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Design Inspiration: Living Rooms

As I settle into my new apartment, I'm still looking for inspiration to decorate and style my living space. I'm going with a black, white and grey theme in my place with pops of light pink, so I've been drawn to the images below. Some have color and others don't, but they are all bright, refined and feminine. :) Which room is your favorite?

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Happy Hump Day

I was planning to have a new fall recipe post for you all today, but things just don't always work out the way you plan them.

When I got everything ready to bake on Sunday night, I realized that I couldn't find my measuring spoons anywhere - they must have gotten lost in the move - and it was too late to go out and buy a new set.

On Monday night I helped a friend out by following her to a car repair shop outside of the city after work and we got stuck in major traffic both ways, so by the time I got home I was too tired to bake.

And last night, when I finally had the time and everything I needed to bake, and after I made all of the cookie batter, I realized that the oven in my new apartment doesn't work. UGH.

So, I can't bake until the oven is fixed. And I don't have a fun pumpkin cookie recipe for you today. But, here's a cute photo of Lil Bub, my favorite internet sensation, to entertain you instead:

DIY Shopping Bag Gallery Wall

Before I dive into the new post, I wanted to announce the winner of the Robyn with a Y wine glass set!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to Kathy (@khsa_string on Twitter)! I will be in touch shortly with you and Robyn so she can create your set of glasses. Thanks to all who entered my giveaway!

A couple of weeks ago I shared a bunch of prints that I wanted to buy to make a gallery wall behind my couch. It's going to take me a little while to buy the prints and frames, so in the meantime, I decided to decorate with what I had on hand - shopping bags! My apartment was feeling a bit dull with nothing hanging on the walls, so these bags are the perfect temporary solution until I can create the gallery wall of my dreams. It's a super easy process and a great way to showcase your favorite brands!

PS: The little nooks under my loft are the perfect place to store my books, DVDs and more! :)

My First Outfit Post & a Confession

Happy Monday everyone! I'm so excited to be sharing my very first outfit post with you all. I also wanted to be honest and let you know why I've never done an outfit post before even though I've always wanted to. I normally keep things light on my blog, but I thought this was an important thing to share and that may resonate with some of you. 

I've told people who have asked me why I don't do outfit posts that it's because I live alone and don't have a roommate/boyfriend/husband to take photos of me, and although that does make it tough, there was a much deeper reason behind my outfit post avoidance.

The truth is, I was really worried about posting photos of myself. I can admit that I am an extreme perfectionist which makes me avoid doing things that I don't feel like I will be the best at or succeed at 100%. My fears about posting photos of me included but are not limited to the following:

• I don't like always looking at photos of myself, so why would anyone else?
• I'm not a model...how am I going to pose? What if people stare at me as they walk by and I look silly?
• I know I'm pretty stylish, but what if my readers don't like my clothing and accessory choices and don't have anything positive to say about my outfit? What if they aren't interested in what I'm wearing? 
• I don't want anyone to notice the flaws I see when I look in the mirror: the 3 surgery scars on my face, the fact that one of my eyes opens more than the other when I smile, the little roll in my belly that doesn't go away no matter how much I exercise or my chest which is much larger than I want it to be and I feel makes me look bigger!

These fears (and others too) held me back from doing something I wanted to do. I was afraid to expose myself and worried that I'd compare myself too much to other bloggers and then feel self-conscious or inadequate. I was worried because I am not perfect. But after lots of self-reflection and encouragement & compliments from other blogger friends, including Chelsea and Megan, I've decided to let them all go and post photos of my favorite outfits. Instead of focusing on my flaws, I'll focus on my great hair, dancer's legs and long eyelashes. I think that's the right way to go about this all, don't you? None of us are perfect, after all. :) 

Thanks for reading along as I share my feelings and confession with you. I hope you like the outfit I wore this past Saturday to dinner with my friend Renee, who was also my photographer! We took the pictures on the steps of my new apartment building :) Some of them are a bit blurry, but we will get better with time at taking the photos!!

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Friday! I have almost nothing planned for this weekend which I am very excited about - quote #3 definitely suits me right now! :) What are you all doing?

If you haven't already, please enter my RobYn with a Y wine glass giveaway!

{this is so true of me...}

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buy this print!

Style Inspiration: Early Fall

I love early fall weather in Boston - the humidity disappears and we start to have cool, crisp days, but it's not so cold that we need to take out our heavy winter coats. We can layer, wear fun sweaters & cute little jackets and can still bare our legs in dresses without pulling the tights out of our drawers yet. What could be more perfect? These street looks below are my current inspiration for this month - which look is your fave?

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{CLOSED} Giveaway: RobYn With a Y Wine Glasses!

When my mum came to visit my new apartment for the first time last week, she brought me the cutest set of wine glasses that were custom painted for me. Each had a cute girl with sparkly green eyes wearing a pretty pink dress and holding a cupcake in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. The glasses were covered in Swarovski crystals, including a big one on her left ring finger, and said "do you know how expensive it is to be me?" around the base. I thought they were absolutely adorable and so perfect for me!

My mum had heard about the local glass designer RobYn with a Y from a friend, and when she saw the glasses she knew they would make a perfect gift for me. Robyn hand paints all of the glasses herself and her cute character is totally her own and copyrighted! She makes glasses for weddings, bridesmaid gifts, housewarming gifts & more and is happy to customize them with a dog, a cupcake or anything else you can dream up. :)

Lately on Instagram...

I know I've been talking about my move a lot over the past couple of weeks, so I wanted to share a few photos from the process! My apartment still isn't totally finished yet, so I'll only be sharing a few peeks of the inside, but I promise to share more once it's fully decorated and I have all of my furniture. :)

First I had to pack up and move out of my Fenway apartment on 8/31. As you can see, Phoebe was the only one of us who enjoyed this...

What I'm Loving Lately...

Even though it's September and I should have my eye on new fall pieces to add to my closet, I've been craving some new clothes to wear out for dinner and drinks with my friends. I'm loving these flirty dresses {and the sexy waxed pair of skinnies!} on my list below, with details like feathers, cutouts and leather. Which piece below do you like best? What's on your wish list lately?

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

What a busy week of moving, building furniture and unpacking it's been for me! This weekend I plan to tidy things up and decorate a bit more as well as attending my friend Ashley's engagement party in Connecticut. What are you all up to for this first full weekend of September? Hope you enjoy this Friday's set of quotes! :)

via Clothes & Quotes

What's on My Vanity...

For the first time in my life, I have a vanity to sit at and do my makeup!! I've wanted one since I was a little girl and I finally bought one for my new apartment. :) I wanted to show you what I have sitting in my new makeup organizer on top of my mirrored vanity since my recent Instagram photo got lots of likes. Let me know what's on your vanity in the comments below!

Style Inspiration: Black & White

I've done a style post on celebs wearing black and white before, but there have been so many chic colorless ensembles lately that I had to do another feature post! Each and every one of these ladies proves that you don't need color to look fantastic. Which outfit is your favorite? {Sidenote: I want Karlie Kloss' body.}

Lily Collins in Rachel Zoe & Brian Atwood

Jordana Brewster in Pierre Hardy heels

Lucy Hale in Paper London

Guest Post: Apartment Wife

I'm excited to have Jen from Apartment Wife guest posting for me today as I continue to unpack and settle in after my move. Jen's blog is so inspiring and often features her amazing random acts of kindness that always make me smile, so please visit her and follow if you don't already. She's a fantastic writer and an even more fantstic person. :) I'm even more thrilled that she chose to make me a gift for her guest post - I had no idea!! Thank you so much, Jen!!!

I sent Amy a little piece of the Midwest to make her brand*sparkling*new apartment feel like home. A few days ago, she showcased some beautiful prints she was planning to put in her entryway, and so I made a Midwest flower vase to match.

Minneapolites use mason jars for everything from drinking glasses to candleholders, and so I thought it was only fitting to use the beloved jar for the DIY project. I started with a glass jar, spray-painted it ‘ocean breeze blue’, and decorated the top with a burlap bow.