...type crush Tuesday, a cheeky Valentine's Day

A little late this week I'll throw some sappy cards your way too.

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...Caroline's life changers!

The second edition is brought to you by Caroline, who I met in college when she helped colonize our sorority on campus. I had a style crush on her from the start so I knew she would have an adorable list of things that changed her life! She just got married (check out her blog for the beautiful photos) and her party favors were so clever!

1. Hobo Lauren Wallet: This is the greatest wallet you will ever own!  I bought my first Hobo wallet when I was traveling as a consultant for my sorority.  I could stuff all kinds of things in it—boarding passes, business expense receipts, camera, phone, etc.  It helped me stay organized while traveling and kept every easily accessible.  It’s a great size to throw in your purse or tote bag or to carry alone as a clutch.  They come out with new fabulous colors every season and are totally worth the money.  

2. O-Gloss and O-Glow Intuitive Color: I am obsessed with these products!  I have bought so many different lip glosses and lip sticks, but I never seem to be able to master the art of finding the correct shade.  O-Gloss and O-Glow automatically adjust to your skin tone to perfectly complement your complexion.  They look and feel great!  They are lightweight, but provide great color that lasts.

3. Lilly Pulitzer Murfee Scarf: These Lilly scarves are so bright and fun!  They liven up any outfit and help make your day a little bit brighter.  Any time I’m having a bad hair day or am not quite satisfied with my ensemble, I just throw on a Murfee.  If this doesn’t cure your case of the Mondays, I’m not sure if anything will.   

  

4. Flex-it Silicone Measuring Cup Set: I am definitely not a domestic goddess, but have been working on spending more time in the kitchen to cook more creative, healthy meals.  I registered for these measuring cups for our wedding and I LOVE them.  I don’t really get excited about new kitchen gadgets, but I recommend these to everyone.   I use them for everything—they came in especially handy when making my wedding favors.  They are great for pouring batter or other things because they don’t drip.  Seriously.  Ever.  They are very flexible, but still very sturdy.  Get these if you want to make your time in the kitchen a little more easy and efficient.

5. Curly Girl Cards: I love sending cards to people whether for birthdays, holidays, or just to say hello.  Curly Girl has such cute, sweet designs that will brighten anyone’s day.  The designer comes up with the most thoughtful sayings and has a way with words that I do not.  Sending these cards is the perfect way to send a little love to family and friends!

6. One Line A Day Journal: I found this adorable teal journal while strolling around downtown Charleston with a friend. I later saw it in a J. Crew catalog, so I knew it had to be cool. This journal is easy to keep up with because there is just enough room to write one quick comment about your day. You write one thing every day for five years. I use mine as a normal journal where I comment on my day. I’ve also heard of people writing one thing each day they are thankful for, or one new thing their baby or child did or said. You could also use it to keep track of short-term and long-term goals. I think it will be so much fun  to look back in 5 years to see all that is happened and all that I have to be thankful for.

7. Bumi dog toy by West Paw Design: My dog chews everything!  She especially loves anything leather or Lilly.  I am always hesitant to buy toys for her because I know they will be destroyed within seconds. I bought her a $15 stuffed peppermint with “ChewGuard” for Christmas and before I could even snap a few pictures of her with it, she had chewed a hole in it.  On a shopping trip with my mom, she convinced me to buy a Bumi and it is FABULOUS!  Emma LOVES it!  She loves to play tug with it, chew it, and toss it around in the air.  After all of that play it doesn’t even have teeth marks in it.  The best part is--if it does ever get damaged, I can mail it in and they’ll send me a new one.

8. Mint: People always find it humorous that I have a degree in Financial Management, yet I am somehow unable to manage my finances. I love that Mint allows me to see all of my recent purchases and balances for my credit cards and bank accounts. It’s a great way to keep track of a budget. It gives you a quick snapshot of your finances, so it doesn’t take a lot of time to realize “Whoa! I’ve already spent $40 on coffee this month!"  

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...j.crew is killing it with the colored jeans

Surprising, I know. But look at how cute these are!


Back this afternoon with the second edition of Life Changers!

Image credit

...this and this

Two examples of hot pink perfection.

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...michelle williams at the globes

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...a yummy treat

I made these a couple weeks ago from an awesome new cooking blog I was introduced to, Handle the Heat, and they were just about one of the best things I think I've ever baked...


(I used Cheerios instead of fiber cereal since that's what I had in my pantry, next time I'm going to use pretzels)

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...trying to get my energy back

Where did all my energy go and how do I get it back...? Did dark and dreary January steal it all?

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...type crush Tuesday - pink and hearts

I like Valentine's Day about as much as I like New Year's Eve...


Once again, too much pressure and I always seem to end up slightly disappointed, even when I set myself up with low expectations. 


However, I don't hate wearing red and pink in one outfit, making heart shaped sugar cookies, icing and decorating them, and finding any excuse to buy a cute card or six...

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...getting lost on a monday

Who wants to play hooky with me today and get lost?

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...quinoa tabbouleh

Last week, I got all inspired by the new year, caught up in the moment of making myself better and decided to do a cleanse I found in this book Clean. The book basically about how many toxins we get from the foods we eat these days and was really interesting to read. It was the only cleanse I had found that I felt I could actually maintain for a week. Definitely do not have the self discipline to do any sort of juice cleanse...


General eating idea - smoothie for breakfast, protein and tons of veggies for lunch, cold soup for dinner. I did great until the cold soup. I made it, took one bite, and threw it out. Then ate another one of the lunch options for dinner. So that's how I continued during the week, nothing processed and almost no sugar. The healthy hot chocolate came in handy as well. One thing that surprised me - the recipes are AMAZING. Everything I cooked from the "lunches" section has been phenomenal and super healthy and easy. I will definitely use this in the future as a recipe resource. Below is the recipe for quinoa tabbouleh (totally obsessed with quinoa recently - I know how pretentious that sounds, sorry). Go make it!!

...the thanks I love it!

A couple new additions to the etsy shop!! Check them out here.

...a bow detail

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...type crush Tuesday - wine/beer labels

Such an awesome type trend happening with wine and beer labels these days...who else buys a bottle of wine simply because they like the label? (guilty)

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...a life changer

Get excited for a new feature my little readers! Every other Monday I'll feature a new list of life changers, but first up is my Auntie Anne, who basically invented this phrase. Read on for her list (first of many) of life changers:


I believe there is a better me just around the corner and I never underestimate the power of time, energy, or money invested in the pursuit of that better me. I love a life-changer.  I have a lot of them.  Some of them actually stick. Some of them don’t, which might periodically lead to a little bit of mockery by loved ones…  On the whole, even if they don’t stick, I like the rigorous pursuit of my own continuous improvement.  In honor of life-changers past, I’m sharing some of my BEST…things that really have helped me, organized into four of my most prevalent life-changer categories.

1. Levenger Circa Notebooks:  Is it the quality of the paper? The fact that you can move it around (so that today’s to do list is always on top)?  I don’t know, but before I discovered and purchased my Circa organizer, I bought about 4 new organizers a year.  None of them worked.  I love Circa. My Junior Size Zip Folio travels with me everywhere. (Levenger is a little spendy…so if you want an alternative, Office Max or Staples typically carry Rollabind.  Same concept, not quite the quality, but good entry point if you want to try it out.)

1.5 3x5 Cards: I discovered these at Levenger.  But reference above thoughts on spendy…it didn’t take me long to realize that for about $2.50 I could make up my own set of 300 by just running blank 3x5 index cards through my printer.  I carry these with me at work and in my purse and keep them accessible on my desk.  They’re great for a quick note to a friend, a reminder for my tickler file, or a thought I want to follow up on later.  They might also be really good for passing notes to a colleague when you’re in a meeting…not that I’ve done that.

2. Evernote: Not every work/organized life changer for me is paper-based.  One word for my electronic life-changer:  EVERNOTE. Their tag line, “remember everything” and they give you a platform that works across all your devices and your desktop.  If you don’t have account, sign up now.  A quick web search on “how to use Evernote” should tell you why you’ve now waited too long to sign up.

3. Moroccan Oil, Dry Shampoo, and Not Washing My Hair (every day):  It’s tough living in the shadow of the stylish I Simply Love creator.  I try not to embarrass her…which is tough some days because I have really BIG and UNRULY hair. It took a while, but I’ve finally nailed in on 3 critical things for a relatively good hair day. I swear by the Moroccan Oil to tame this big head of hair. And there is no bigger life changer for a gal with big hair than to realize that if you only wash your hair 2x’s a week (and then supplement with dry shampoo) you can reclaim A LOT of time…

4. Running Group: It took paying a lot of money for races I never started to make me realize that as a runner, I needed some motivation to get out the door for my long runs.  So 1 year ago, I started a running group.  I asked a wide group of people I knew who ran (and then they asked their friends) if they wanted to meet up for a four mile run every Saturday morning.  If people are training, then a few of us will tack on extra miles after the first 4.  I send out a simple meet up message every week and then, we run.  The camaraderie?  The accountability?  The fact that a 9 mile run in January is a LOT less arduous if you’re doing it with a friend or three?  It’s the single best and most impactful life-changer I made in 2011.  If running isn’t your thing, find a group that will help you stay accountable to the thing you want to do (more consistently).

5. Bondi Bands: No better exercise accessory than the bondi band.  Adds a little flair to the workout gear AND holds your hair in place, no slipping!  (They even got me through a really bad bang grow out a few years back where I might have worn them not just for working out…for about 7 months.)

6. Bella Cucina Rocket Blender:  Do you love a smoothie?  Do you hate the hassle of cleaning out a massive blender just for one smoothie?  Wish you had a lid for your smoothie so you could take it to work with you?  All these things are possible with the Bella Cucina Rocket Blender.  By far my favorite kitchen gadget and I use it all the time.  Anne Carlyle has even introduced me to sneaking a few fresh spinach leaves into my morning smoothie…which hasn’t necessarily been a life-changer, but I do appreciate the health benefits.

7. TheFresh20.com:  it’s a new year and you don’t think a gal who loves a life-changer would pass up the opportunity for a new year’s resolution, do you?  My husband and I have committed to 6 months of whole/real food eating.  It’s a challenging resolution because I really don’t cook.  So anything that will help me be successful in this regard is a necessity.  And while I’m only 1 week in, I can say that I’m pretty sure that TheFresh20.Com will be the life-changer that sticks from 2012.  (Low cost) subscription service that provides you with a shopping list of 20 fresh ingredients and then 5 (simple but tasty) meal plans for the week.  You can sign up for classic (meat), vegetarian, or vegan.  We’re trying the vegetarian and have made four GREAT meals this week that I never would have come up with on my own.  Love it!  

Thanks so much for sharing your life changers Auntie Anne!!

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...Friday!

Happy weekend my little readers! I'm taking a trip home to Charlottesville to see my Auntie Anne, who I missed over Christmas!

Next week on i simply love...

A 1 year blogiversary and the start of a fun new feature on life changers (speaking of Auntie Anne, she's contributing to the first post, not to mention the inspiration behind it)!!

Some things I've simply loved this week...

The President's handwriting


Discovering this awesome food blog and making these sweet treats for my coworkers...(they were a massive hit)


Stumbling upon this adorable etsy shop, I can't wait to send goodies to friends! (I've been on a bit of a clean eating kick this week so I seem to be getting my sugar fix through the interwebs this week)


And if you didn't catch this post...healthy hot chocolate!

Have the MOST lovely weekend and I'll see you back here Monday!  

Handle the Heat - the next recipe I want to try from my new fav blog 

...a crave-able city

How is it that I literally crave trips to NYC?  Even though I live in DC, New York just has a different vibe that satisfies me. When I visit, I feel at oddly at home for a place I've never spent more than 2 weeks at a time in. 

Also - I love all the prints in Blanca Gomez's etsy shop (where the below image is taken from) they are so whimsical and cute!

...cute coats

A coat really can pull an outfit together. Love both of these and the different looks they complete.

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...neon and black

A good way to transition this summer trend into the days of cold weather. 

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...a clever logo

I have many weaknesses (just about any sweet treat from Trader Joe's, the entire J.Crew and Tory Burch stores, being a control freak) and strengths (being able to resist things from Tory Burch and pay my credit card bill, knowing I am a control freak and trying to change).


Designing logos is a major weakness of mine. My brain just doesn't conceptualize ideas well enough to come up with a great logo from start to finish. So when I see clever logos, I have ton a respect for designers who succeed with them. Like this little gem...Rewind Candles...

The Dieline - check out the rest of the photos right here

...healthy hot chocolate

I swear. This is a legitimately healthy snack, and fills you up for daaayyss (not really, but you get the point)! 


You could of course make this with regular milk and it is just as good, but I actually prefer it with almond milk. I've slowly been phasing dairy out of my diet, so I tried almond milk in my smoothies one morning instead of yogurt. We fell in love and now I'm an almond milk kind of girl.


1 cup of almond (regular/soy/whatevs) milk
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder


Heat this in the microwave for 1 - 1:30 minutes, then stir until all the cocoa powder dissolves and add 1 tablespoon agave syrup.

*Not this post is not sponsored by Trader Joe's...

...Rifle Paper Co. greeting cards

How cute are these cards?!

Anthro

...type crush Tuesday

Creatively centered typography. Working in an invitation address and a logo. Beautiful.

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...getting prematurely excited about summer

I haven't bought a new bathing suit in years. Late last summer I borrowed a friends suit at the beach and discovered what it was like to wear one that is A) the correct size, and B) doesn't have elastic so hilariously old that you're forced to cling to your bottoms as you emerge from the waves.


So, I decided this summer I will buy all new suits and throw out the old. Spotting this one from Anthropologie (wildy out of my price range unfortunately) got me all excited about summer and new bathing suits. Unfortunately, it is still January and I fear actual winter hasn't even hit us yet. Sorry.

anthro

...trousers and a patterned shirt

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...a new favorite snackie!

Thanks to Martha, I have a new favorite snack. These are so easy to make and versatile - I nom on them, put them on top of hummus, or add them to a salad!

...a new girl crush

Rose Byrne. From the movie Bridesmaids. So pretty!

Musings in Femininity

...these interiors

Cold weather makes me want to nest. And dream up my perfect apartment. White frames on a white wall and whimsical chalkboard paint in my kitchen are on tabs for the next place I live. 

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...hairbows!

In high school, my preppy little friends and I had this hilarious trend of tying bows in our hair every day. Just a grosgrain ribbon on a ponytail, nothing fancy, but it had to match. I had so many ribbons, we all collected them. So obnoxious and hilarious.

This trend is a bit more subtle and grown up and maybe I will try it one lazy Sunday...

Doux Rousse

type crush Tuesday - Bella Figura

Bella Figura's new line of letterpress wedding invitations is gorge, these are a few of my favorites but here's the link to explore all of them!

...Brie poptarts

I made these for a New Years Eve party and they were super yummy! I followed this recipe from Joy the Baker but did a slice of apple and some toasted slivered almonds!

...2012!

Happy New Year my lovely readers! Back in a little with some brie pop tarts!

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