In With the New

Yesterday was emotional. I decided to retire, for the most part, my favorite and most sentimental pair of booties. These boys were picked up in a little town outside of Cinque Terre for, I’d say, $20. Impervious to the fact that I was purchasing them from a store with an aesthetic similar to America’s Rave, I took a chance on them. They quickly became my favorite pair of boots and the wear and literal tears on them are proof.

I’d been looking for a replacement pair for a few months but couldn’t find one that compared. The toes were perfectly round, the heel a perfect length to bring my flare jeans off the ground and the height just right to tuck my skinny jeans. As I hobbled over to the new pair due to the dulling and uneven heels of the former, I knew I had found their match.

So while you enjoy a laugh imagining me sitting in my room putting jewelry on my new pairs of shoes, because, in reality, isn’t everything a place to display your jewelry, I know my Siena friends will smile at these boots, knowing they come with a lot of history and love.

For you. I just don’t think I’ve ever been happier.

Marry Me

Last weekend was a wedding weekend for me so I’m feeling inspired by these beautiful images. I definitely want some homemade touches as I’ve always been crafty but with the amount of time all of that takes, I do not know how people do it!

To the moon and back.

And the wedding’s in Nashville.

Love the flower top

1 . 2 . 3 – 8 . 9 – 10 .

Check Me Out

School starts up today. And while that usually signals the end of summer, I’m not giving up yet… labor day is still around the corner and it’s still too hot for me to wear jeans. I used this past weekend to relax, get organized, and sneak in a DIY project or two.

What a great set of stairs. Cream marble and gold stair rails

I would love to have a custom set of lucite letters made for my place

Proof that the little details are everything

Floors.

Look ma, I made pillows!

Fancied up some boring straps

Gift to myself.

Bubble glass balls- great for coffee tables and bookshelves

Loved the gold on this clear lemonade jar

Back to School.

It’s no secret that I would give anything to be back in college. Vanderbilt specifically. I had the most amazing four years in Nashville and I can’t imagine having spent it any other way. While I put in a little effort with my bedding every year, I definitely wish I could have another try at tackling the cement block walls and sad looking wood beds. Here are some back to school essentials to make your dorm room the one everyone’s talking about:

Extra long twin-set, please!

A bedskirt?! Why/how did I not think of that?

These pom pom pillows are adorable

For the more sophisticated college girl!

I just don’t know what it is. I am not a pink girl but my freshman year dorm room claimed otherwise:

Tying your curtains up with mismatched hair ribbons? I tried. Also, the desk chair. That desk chair.

Art in my dorm room consisted of poorly printed high school photos taped to the wall (see above)

Great conversation piece plates

Very cool

This floor lamp means business

West Elm has great shower curtains

Such a cute magnet board for notes, reminders and photos

A good desk chair changes everything

Just yes.

So… time to go back? Thank goodness for homecoming.

Teepee the House

 

While building forts as a child was always fun and exciting, it was also fleeting. The forts were usually constructed out of sofa cushions and bedsheets and would need to be taken down from the main room by dinner time.  A teepee, however, can be that remote place where you can escape to read a book or write in your diary.

 

 

 

 

 

Image 1. Other images here.

Up at the Lake

                     

 

The closest to heaven I’ve ever been

Traverse City Maple Glazed Salmon

Last week I was appointed head chef of the Haus of Spitzer. With Lake Michigan being our bath water, fish is a must and we had it almost every night. One item on the menu was Maple Glazed Salmon. We found the recipe in Traverse Magazine and it was juicy, crunchy and just delicious. I highly recommend you making this TONIGHT.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons maple syrup | 2 tablespoons soy sauce | 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger | 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water | 4 salmon fillets | 1 tablespoon sliced pecans

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together syrup and cornstarch/water solution until smooth

2. Place fillets skin-side-down in baking pan (I placed them on tin foil to prevent a messy clean up)

3. Pour half of syrup mixture over salmon

4. Bake about 15-18 minutes at 450 degrees until the fish begins to flake. Baste with another 1/4 of glaze halfway through cooking.

5. Finish off with the final 1/4 of maple glaze and top with pecans. ENJOY!

At the Lake

I’m at my lake house in Michigan for the week and I can’t wait to swim in the clear blue Crystal Lake, spend time with my family, see friends I grew up with, and enjoy the summer sun! Jay Burt of Walk Softly Photos is one of my favorite photographers, not only because he captures photos of my beloved Crystal Lake throughout the year but he manages to capture it in the most elegant light.

You and Me

What is life without a best friend to laugh with, tell secrets with, complain with, or dream with? I would be nothing without my girls.

West Philadelphia Born and Raised

This past weekend was my first “girls weekend” since graduating from Vanderbilt LAST may (it keeps getting further away from me…). With one of our friends in dental school at UPenn, we came by plane train and automobile to get together for the first time since homecoming in October. Having never been to Pennsylvania except to drive through Hershey on our way to Nashville, I was excited to learn that it is a very up and coming city with lots of cute shops and places to eat and amazing public art and interesting architecture. My friends were always kind enough to wait for me while I snapped a photo in the middle of the street. It’s that southern hospitality.

Ombre window sills

Anthropologie’s window display art was bursting at the seams

Stair rail detailing

New drawer pulls from Anthropologie