Hi, I'm Liz, and This is My Dream Bedroom

Three Minute Philosophies

I love when cartoons make me smart. 

I also feel with the beginning of school here, ew, I need to start the process of flipping my brain switch back on.

Now I secretly hope I'm at some event where someone brings up Kant's Catagorical Imperative and I can chime in, "OHHHHH yesss consequentialism, blah blah blabbity blahhhhh, [smart things] blahhh." 

....I think I said that with a British accent in my head. 

Surviving Your Early 20's

A nice little reminder and reality check from Stylecaster, and Anne Hathaway: 

"The idea that EVERYONE is enjoying his or her early 20s is generally accepted and perpetuated by society.

Youth and beauty are king, not to mention fleeting, so the pressure is ON. This pressure becomes compounded by the sense that everyone else is having the time of their lives!  Your friends are constantly tweeting pics up in da club, checking in via Foursquare at the lounge du jour and boasting of late night shenanigans on Facebook. Suddenly you come down with a nasty case of FOMO (fear of missing out).

When/if this happens remember: perception is reality. No one endures their 20s without suffering at least one major break-up, surviving off $20 for weeks on end and having at least three nightmare gigs before they get their dream job. We're all just little squirrels trying to get a nut—often fighting over that same nut. OK, I'll let that one go.

The good news is: this passes. The moments that seem catastrophic now will honestly be laughable in a few months. And it's important to remember that those feelings of awkwardness and insecurity afflict EVERYONE, even stars like Anne Hathaway:"

"A lot of what aging has been for me...has been about finding confidence. And a lot of being confident is just slowing down, being still...thinking before you speak."

A Sneak Peek at Kate Spade Holiday...

Overjoyed to find a preview of Kate Spade's holiday collection over on Oh Joy! (...I swear I didn't even plan that pun.) Loving every little bit of gold and glitter and polka dots. Coming to Kate Spade October through December. 

Double Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Brownies

Via What Katie Ate, the best food photography blog known to man. 

Everything About This Place is Just Awesome

Remind me to have this much natural lighting in my future home. 

{photos: Emmadime}

Champagne + Mason Jars + Stripey Straws

Ain't that just fun? 

{photo: Erin Ever After via follow studio and Lauren Michelle}

Inside Vogue's Shoe Closet

Footage from the new fashion documentary "God Save the Shoes" coming out this fall starring ... Vogue's shoe closet. 

Everything Would Turn Out Right

"I wish that this were easy, but you know it never is;

Seems like hearts get broken durin' things like this. "

Before the Wedding: To See or Not to See?

The cutest photo of a groom seeing his bride before the wedding, and a couple who decided to wait. 

Photos: A Cup of Jo via Lynn Michelle Photography, PBF fingers

The Anatomy of a Fall Look

Via: Emmadimes

Bringing Evening Sparkle to Your Daytime Look

Kate Spade shows you how to take its Ingenue Clutch from day to night. Cute lipstick, girl. 

Destiny is for Losers.

"Destiny is for losers. It's just a stupid excuse to wait for things to happen instead of making them happen." 

- Blair Waldorf

Photo: Cognac and Coffee 

The Summer Dress

"The Look: A great dress. Deceptively simple, ultra chic. Perfect for summer."

"Style Tip: Sometimes it really is as easy as slipping into a beautiful dress. For summer, it’s all about choosing a look with a flattering silhouette and a bold color or print" - Tory Burch Blog

Did you find that summer dress yet? Umm, shut your mouth, it's still summer. Let's shop. 

byCorpus Criss Cross Dress

Kimchi Blue Strapless Sundress 

KNT by Kova & T Lace Top Dress 

Casual Knit Dress 

Color Block Drape Dress 

Rainbow Print One Shoulder Dress 

Waisted Dress with Rose Trim 

Rare Heart Print Chiffon Dress 

Eucalyptus 50's Floral Dress 

GET IN MY HOUSE

Ummm ultimate bachelorette pad feature? Hot pink spiral staircase. Yezzir. 

6 Things Worth Putting Off Whatever You're Doing (The August 22nd Edition)

• K, people are just awesome. This guy scuba dived into the tsunami to rescue his wife and mother. Read his story. 
• Wonder how that youtube video got over a million hits? The secret behind viral videos is explained. 
• I'm the notorious book nerd among my group of friends, so I always get asked for reading recommendations. The website "What Should I Read Next?" suggests books for you based on past ones you've liked. Nifty. 
• 50 people, one question: where would you like to wake up tomorrow?
• I watched this EFFING AWESOME video like 5 times in a row, it's fine. Some people's brains I tell ya...
• Rocky Road Marshmallow Pops. Oh my deeeeear, how scrumptious do you look?

Soo, I'm Ready for Fall Clothes...

...are you?

{photo: The Style Crusader via J.Crew}

POSSIBLY The Greatest Idea Ever.

{photo via: Adventures in Ice Cream}

Captivating

{photo: design love fest via boston.com}

Wanderlust: Paris

The number one reason I'm motivated to put a few commas in my future paychecks? Travel. "I want to see the world" is one of the most cliche wishes of all time, but think about it. The world holds millions upon millions of beautiful places and life-changing experiences and you only have one life to see it. It's a rush to think about, isn't it? I want nothing more than one day to live in a house where each room is filled with different travel souvenirs; evidence of my stays in foreign cities. 

Stumbling upon Tory Burch's blog post that detailed an "Insiders' Guide to Paris" sparked a huge wave of wanderlust with me. It's a little too small to read here, but if you head over to her page you can check it out. Make sure to scroll through the rest of her blog; it's definitely one of the best to come from a designer. 

"Believe That Anything You Can Imagine, You Can Make Real."

(cc: Glitter Guide)

Missoni for Target

This may be the biggest designer collaboration for Target to date. With enough zig-zags to make your head spin, the over 400 piece collection will range from $13.99 to $199.99 and hits Targets nationwide September 13. 

{images: The Daily Spark via All The Way Up Here}

Pucker Up.

Coming this fall to Kate Spade. If you think I wouldn't buy one of these just for how cute the tube is, you crazy. 

Whoopie Pies are the New Cupcakes. (Did I Just Say That?)

They're like a cake. That's a sandwich. 

And strawberry milk? Didn't you guys ever have that strawberry Nesquick (or whatever, too lazy to look up the spelling) powder as a kid that you'd stir into your milk? LOVED that stuff. Possibly why I was so drawn to these when I found the recipe over on Sprinkles Bakes. I think I just stared. For a good 10 minutes. 

Strawberry Milk Whoopie Pies

Yield: 30-40 whoopie pie shells

Make the shells: 

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 tbsp. white vegetable shortening

1 cup powdered strawberry milk mix - such asNesquick brand.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 whole egg

1 egg white

1 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper

3. In a bowl whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder, set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine vegetable shortening, strawberry milk powder and brown sugar.  Mix until crumbly.

5. Add the egg and egg white, to the mixture and beat well, then add the heavy cream; mix until smooth.

6. In a small condiment cup, combine milk, baking soda and vinegar. Stir well, mixture will foam.

7. Pour baking soda mixture into the batter first and then pour flour mixture in on top.  Mix on low speed until thick and combined.  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl and mix again until well combined.

8. Transfer mixture to a piping bag or a large zip-top sandwich bag with the corner snipped off. 

9.  Pipe batter into heaped 2" rounds widely spaced on the baking sheet - about 6 cakes to a pan.

10. Bake for 7-10 minutes.  Be careful not to over bake.  Cakes are done when they just start to turn golden around the edges.

Fill the shells:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

1. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 

2. Beat on low speed until just combined, then whip at high speed until light and fluffy.

Note: Sweetened whipped cream is also a very good filling for these pies.

Decorate the shells :

2 tbsp. milk

Confectioner's sugar

Sprinkles

1. Pour milk into a small bowl.

2. Add confectioners' sugar a tablespoon at a time while whisking constantly until thickened to piping consistency.

3. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a plain piping tip.  I used Wilton #4. 

4. Pour sprinkles on a plate and dip decorated cake top in the sprinkles, brushing the excess away - or sprinkle nonpareils over tops of cakes, letting the excess fall in the plate.

New Music. Get Some.

Throw Missy Elliot on "Last Friday Night" and my liking for the song goes from 0 to 10. Yo, Missy, where you BEEN girl?!

I kind of wanted to find this song annoying, but I caught myself head-bobbin. 

It's been awhile, eh boys?

The No. 40 Rule of a Gentleman

Image via: Strikes our fancy

Awww I Wanna Have a Craft Party with MY Friends! (That's Me Whining)

These gorgeous and fun ladies..

... yep these ones right here, are the creative minds behind two of my favorite sites: Sitting in a Tree & Enjoy Events Co. What do they do? Why, they make pretty weddings possible. 

Anyhoo, these wonderfully feminine pics are from their "Kate Spade-esque" craft-party photo shoot where they brainstormed all things wedding, party, and girl. Let's have a moment of silence for the prettyness shall we?

"We think that where you live and how you decorate your home really gives us an idea of your overall style and who you are as a person." 

God I love being a girl. 

Prepping for the shoot. 

{all photos Edyta Szyszlo on 100 Layer Cake }

Oversized

Trust when I say I am still all about anything and everything summer, but a part of me is starting to crave the comfy and cozy oversized sweaters I never really change out of come fall. 

{photo: Fashion Toast}

Closet-Envy Moment of the Day

I'm still not over how much I love these BlueFly Closet Confessions so you're stuck with another mother-of-all closets to drool over; this time coming from Real Housewife of Beverly Hills Kyle Richards. Enjoy. 

Sometimes I Just Like Staring At Girly Things

"A few lucky women have been born with style - but for most of us, style is something that comes with time and experience. Above all style begins with a sense of who you are and your self-confidence. Style comes from opening yourself to the world around you - to book and movies, art, music, travel and especially to other people." - Kate Spade

{photo: Mrs. Lillien}

"Grow Old With Me, The Best is Yet to Be"

I want to wish a happy 23rd wedding anniversary to my mom and dad. As I get older I've really learned to appreciate and respect marriage and the work my mom and dad put into theirs. Every time I see them laugh together, tease each other, or even hug, I remind myself how lucky I am to have had the greatest example of what love is all about right in front of me for twenty-one years. I will never settle for anything less than what they have taught me a marriage should be. 

Love you both!

{photo: Max Wanger}

UMMMMMMMMMMMMMM HI

Halston has had some major company drama this last year. The 70's brand made a major comeback after Sarah Jessica Parker became President and Chief Creative Officer, but in the last couple months Parker, CEO Bonnie Takhar, and other major Halston investor Harvey Weinstein have all left the company without really a word as to why. Rut-roh. 

So while we don't know why the brand took such a sudden turn for the worse, there is one thing clear: they sure do make one hell of a clutch. 

Shoe

This single-word statement graffiti was found painted on a number of different surfaces in London, England. Whether it was political, symbolic, or had any meaning at all was a mystery to all. Not quite the four-letter-word you'd expect to see cropping up if somebody made a hobby of vandalizing the city with spray paint. Personally I kind of like the mystery behind it. 

{all photos via Little Brown Pen}