Favorite Things Friday

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Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have had a great week! We are enjoying our dear friends wedding in southern California this weekend and we are absolutely loving it (pictures to come soon). Today I wanted to share my love for my new hairbrush. When L was in town for a wedding a couple weeks ago, we went to The Wow Bar for her to get her hair done. It was a great adventure and her hair turned out fabulous. We both purchased these round barrel brushes for blow-drying your hair. They have natural bristles that are easy on your hair, and a wooden/cork center that prevents your locks from getting too much heat. Needless to say I love it! It makes my hair super shiny and soft, and makes blow-drying it actually fun! Try it out, I promise you won't be disappointed :) 

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: : Shop the Post : : 

Natural Hairbrushes

With love,

A

Smitten Kitchen's: Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

I discovered the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from a friend after trying the peach pie and bourbon topping. I was immediately sold after the first bite and promptly asked for the recipe. She proceeded to show me the entire cookbook and all its glory. I later asked for the cookbook for Christmas but really just began to dive in. I of course started at the back (the best place in all cookbooks- in my opinion).

I usually gravitate towards chocolate treats but the Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats were calling my name. I wasn't disappointed, this recipe was extremely easy to make- with only 4 ingredients and no bake time its easily put together in 15-20 min. The not so secret ingredient is the subtle sea salt that hits your taste buds with every bite- it's the perfect sweet and salty mixture. You won't even remember there isn't any chocolate in this dessert. 

Thanks for reading, 

L

Photo's by Laura Lorentz

Recipe from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Easy Organic Chicken Salad {Food}

If any of you are like P and I, we despise packing lunches each day to eat at work. We want things that are healthy yet satisfy those mid-day cravings and offer us energy to get through the rest of the work day. It can be difficult to accomplish all of those tasks in one noon-day meal, but we try our best :) We prefer leftovers from the evening before, but we have also come to love chicken salad! It is extremely easy to make and very healthy - we skip the bread and instead choose to eat ours with fruit or vegetables on the side, and a glass of sun tea lemonade (see post here). I hope this leaves you feeling inspired to try something new for lunch!

: : Ingredients : : 

2 1/2 cups organic chicken (we cut up a rotisserie chicken or buy pre-shredded chicken)

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mayonaise (optional)

1 tablespoons lemon juice

Sliced almonds (to preference)

1 1/2 cups organic red grapes

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Thyme (to preference)

: : Recipe : : 

Place your shredded (or grilled) chicken in a large mixing bowl. 

Add the yogurt, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Stir to coat. 

Add in the sliced almonds, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. Stir to coat. 

Finish by adding in the red grapes. 

Refrigerate and enjoy!

With Love,

A

Photos by Preston Anderson

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils

Fall is in the air and I couldn't be more excited! Every year as the summer starts to wind down I have a nostalgic feeling towards going back to school. Although, I haven't been a student for some time I continue to follow the September through May "school scheduled" and around this time I'm craving the thought of getting back into a routine. With the thought and feeling of fall on my mind I couldn't help but break out a few layers that are bound to be staples in my closet this season. I'm especially thrilled with the "endless" shirt I picked up at J. Crew, I've been missing a crisp white shirt in my wardrobe for some time now and was excited to see a modern take on such a classic item. 

The title of this post comes from one of my favorite movies... can you guess the movie? I watch it every Fall as it seems to get me in a "fall" state of mind. 

{SMILE its Monday!}

:: Shop The Post ::

J. Crew Shirt // J. Crew Sweater // Tommy Bahama Hat (similar) // Rag & Bone Denim // J. Crew Heels  // Tiffany & Co. Bracelet // Skagan Watch // Rebecca Minkoff Handbag // NARS Lipstick "Fast Ride" 

Thanks for reading, 

L

Photo's by Brendan Lorentz

Favorite Things Friday

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TGIF! I'm so thankful we made it to the weekend- I've said it before but this weekend I'm dedicating all my time to cleaning and organizing our place. As you saw from recent pics its not in the best condition. Wish me luck. 

I've been crazy about Swedish Hasbeens for a little over a year now and have yet to  pull the trigger on a pair. They are a little pricey but I know they are an investment piece I would wear for years to come. I have to  constantly remind myself to stay focused on investment purchases rather then thoughtless sale items or impulse buys. Regardless, even though I don't owed a pair (yet) I still wanted to showcase them as the perfect summer sandal. In general I'm into all  types of Swedish clogs and remembered to bring my traditional Swedish clogs back to Seattle to sport this fall with skinny jeans and over sized sweaters. My clogs are a special keepsake as I wore them as a part of a Swedish costume when I was apart of the Svenskarnas Dag Girls Choir. 

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Thanks for reading, 

L

Rustic Chalkboard {DIY}

When P and I went to Nashville earlier this summer (see here), we spent an entire day of our vacation at the Nashville Flea Market, perusing the isles of junk and treasures. This barn wood frame was one of those treasures. It was handmade from an old 1920's barn and we fell in love with it instantly. It took me awhile to decide what I wanted to put inside - a fun print, a map, nothing, a chalkboard. I eventually decided to go the chalkboard route, and last weekend P helped me to make a simple chalkboard and install it on the back. I cannot wait to find the perfect place for it in our home. What is your current DIY project? 

: : Materials : : 

White Spray Paint (primer)

Chalkboard Spray Paint (we needed two cans for our project, but ours was quite large)

Plywood 

Sander

Screws
Drill or Screwdriver

: : DIY : : 

Begin by cutting the plywood to your desired length and width, depending on the size of your frame. You will want about 1-2 inches extra on all sides for screwing it onto the frame. 

Sand down the side that will be facing out so that it is smooth.

Using a white spray paint, prime the plywood surface completely in slow, steady strokes. Let dry completely. Lightly sand to re-smooth surface. 

Apply two even coats of the black chalkboard spray paint, letting dry completely between each coat. Lightly sand to re-smooth surface. Apply one final coat of the black chalkboard spray paint. 

Screw the chalkboard onto the frame. 

With Love,

A

Photos by Preston Anderson

Work in Progress {Home}

Today I'm sharing part of my vision for our dining room and living room in our new apartment. My family has been anxiously awaiting pretty pictures of our new place but since that's not happening anytime soon (see pics- hahaha) I thought I would start sharing through a mini-series I'm calling "Work in Progress." I initially  wanted to only share the final results of our apartment makeover on the blog but thought the process is what it's all about so here's a look at our very messy apartment. 

B and I moved into our apartment almost a month ago, but with the business of summer and travel we haven't been able to dedicate the time needed to fully pull our new place together. Just yesterday I was having fun browsing tables and chairs on Craigslist to fill our dining room (the first item of business) when I stumbled across a three drawer campaign dresser and campaign bookcase. To my shock and surprise the set was being sold for $350 and looked to be in perfect condition. At first B wasn't thrilled to put the table and chairs search on hold but I knew these items were rare gems and just had to be ours. See, I have been searching Craigslist on and off for about three years looking for campaign style furniture. I love the vintage yet modern style and appreciate the quality of the furniture as well.

Although we drove over an hour each way to collect these pieces I'm thrilled with all the potential they have. I plan on cleaning them up with Mr. Clean magic eraser's (my favorite new cleaning product) and possibly giving them a fresh coat of white paint.

What do you think? Do you have any fun Craigslist scores?

Thanks for reading and be sure to stay tuned for more on the apartment makeover!

Photo's by Laura Lorentz

Eiffel Tower

Every once in awhile there is a piece at Anthropologie that steals my heart because it involves some of my favorite hobbies in the print. I have a sailboat blouse and a tennis sweater in my closet, both of which are some of my favorite pastimes. Earlier this summer, I fell in love with this blouse because it shows different monuments in Europe, from the Eiffel Tower to Big Ben and showcases my love of travel. But I also love that it looks like a simple blouse you could wear to work, but when you look closely you can see that it is so much more! It is fun to have a few graphic items in my wardrobe because my third grade students think it is so fun also :) 

: : Shop the Post : : 

Anthropologie Blouse / / Rag & Bone Jeans / / Marc by Marc Jacobs Handbag (similar here) / / Stuart Weitzman Pumps (similar here) / / Chanel Sunnies / / Prestonmade Bangle

With Love,

A

Photos by Preston Anderson