Spring Lip Color

Spring always makes me want to wear a girly pink lip color.  

I'm loving corals and melon tones this year.  

Above are some of my favorites.  

Also, below are the links to some helpful techniques:

How to appropriately apply lip stick

Lipstick tricks

How to make your lipstick last

Tricks for a nasty lipstick stain

Other amazing colors

{  #1  #2  #3  #4  #5  }

Workspace

Last week when I came across WeWork, a coworking company,
I was inspired to post about my work space.

I live in a tiny apartment with a little kitchen nook that I turn into a 

make-shift office when I need a home workspace, but let's be honest - 

my couch is where most of my late night blogging actually happens.

I love to surround myself with lots of natural light and simple and playful art.  

I try to keep it simple so I don't get distracted, which happens easily.  

I am also a huge fan of plants, they bring life and fresh air into my workspace. 

I always keep a photo of my husband and I close by.  

It's the perfect reminder of how great life is and 

why we work so hard to support and enjoy our time together.

Another thing I really care about is my computer background.  

As silly as it sounds, it really sets the tone for the project I'm working on.  

If I'm working on a pink post you can bet my background is saturated in pink.  

I find a ton of inspiring ones here.

If you are looking to grow your business out of your home 

and into a great artistic and inspiring community I would 

highly recommend WeWork!  They offer great office spaces 

in several cities across the world.  

If you are in the Seattle area I would check out their space.  

It's full of funky urban finds and a great space to simply get things done!

Have a great weekend!

 

{photos and styling by me}

Grapefruit Martini

This cocktail is my jam. 

As the weather starts to warm I am craving grapefruit and citrus more and more!

Below is my favorite new after-work beverage.

**Did you know that local honey helps with allergies?  It's true - see here.

enjoy!

{photo found on Creature Comforts}

Italy (200 days later)

This past weekend I realized that I never shared my Italy photos... 

it's never too late right?!

Our first stop was Rome.  I loved the old buildings and ruins.  

My favorite part was seeing the Pope.  He seems pretty cool.  

Our favorite neighborhood was Trastevere.  Its the idealistic Italian 

neighborhood with windy backstreets and alleys that you could get happily lost in. 

Cinque Terre stole my heart.

From its Mediterranean beaches, fizzy wine, and pesto 

I was sold the minute I stepped off the train into torrential rainfall.  

Once the clouds cleared we were in heaven!  The town of Corniglia was our favorite.

Tuscany was as beautiful as I had imagined.  

The vineyards and Olive trees were spectacular.  

We loved the museums and seeing David in person 

was way more inspiring than I had imagined it to be.  

He's truly an incredible piece.

J and I loved Italy.  

If you are planning a trip and want any tips you can ask away!  

But truly experiencing it for yourself is the best way to see this amazing country.

 Ciao xo

{photos by me }

Flower School: Orange Blossom

One of my favorite spring time flowers is Orange Blossom.  

It smells so sweet and citrusy.  I love it's small white blossoms 

and tiny green leaves.  It always looks so amazing 

sitting tall in a vase in my living room.

Orange Blossom represents good fortune so they 

tend to be a popular wedding flower.  They were used in abundance 

during the Victorian era in bridal crowns and bouquets.  

You can learn more here.

xo

{  mowielicious   Jenna Bechtholt   Lewis Miller Design   Lane Dittoe  }

A Touch of Pink

I love living rooms with a touch of pink.  I doubt my husband 

would ever go for pink paint or a flamingo in our main 

common space but its too cute not to post.

I also love the half painted wall in the first photo above.

Do you have any accent walls?  Ours are all white - which I really love, 

especially for our tiny home.  

Happy Wednesday xo

{ Style Me Pretty  At Home in Love  Style Me Pretty  babble  Domaine } 

Boozy Shakes

I have a confession: I love McDonald's Shamrock Shakes.

They are my weakness!  

So, when I saw these shakes I knew 

I had plans for St. Patrick's Day... yum.

I love this post from the blog how sweet it is 

These Lucky Charm boozy shakes are just up my alley!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Lucky Charm Marshmallows

2 Cups of Milk

4 Cups of Vanilla Ice Cream (or mint!)

1/3 Cup Marshmallow Vodka

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Extra cereal for topping

Directions:

-Add marshmallows to a food processor and blend until powdery

-Add milk to a large bowl and pour in the blended marshmallows

-Stir to combine, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes

-Add ice cream, marshmallow milk, vodka, and vanilla extract

-Blend then enjoy!

**directions slightly changed from the original post that you can find here

So yummy.

Do you have any St. Patricks traditions? 

xo

{photos by how sweet it is}

Bad Joke Friday

One of my favorite parts of the week is Bad Joke Friday.

Every morning my bus is packed; standing room only kind of packed.  

Everyone has their phone out and headphones on.  Then, 10 minutes into my Friday 

commute my bus driver tells a joke.  A bad joke.  

He calls it Bad Joke Friday.  Everyone puts their phone down, 

takes their headphones off,  and we laugh together.

This is one of my favorite parts of the week because it's not very 

often that 50 strangers stop what they are doing to laugh together.  

I always end up chatting with the person next to me after.  It's a little magical.  

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday... it's now time for a bad joke:

Q: Who is a penguins favorite relative?

A: Aunt Artica!

xo 

{Photo found on Zoella}

Blueberry Banana Quinoa Muffins

These muffins should be called "how many healthy things can I 

fit in the title muffins", but instead lets just call them 

Blueberry Banana Quinoa Muffins.

They are delicious and healthy!

I eat one about an hour before I leave work and they 

stick with me through a hard workout.

3 bananas 

9 oz. of fresh blueberries

1/2 cup of apple sauce

1/2 cup of almond milk

1/3 cup of honey

1/8 cup of maple syrup

1 tbls of vanilla extract

1 cup of cooked quinoa

2 1/2 cups of oats

1 tsp of cinnamon

2 tbls of chia seeds

1 apple, peeled and chopped into bits

- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees and line a 

muffin tin with paper cups

- Place all three bananas and all of the blueberries into a 

food processor and blend until smooth

- Mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl (applesauce, bananas, 

blueberries, almond milk, honey, vanilla)

- Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl (cooked quinoa, 

oats, cinnamon, chia seeds, chopped apple)

- Slowly add the mixed, dry ingredients into the wet ingredients

-Fill each paper cup to the top (they don't rise) and 

cook for 20 - 25 minutes

- Let cool and refrigerate to keep longer

**this recipe usually makes 12 - 18 muffins depending on the size 

of the paper cup and how much you fill them

These are seriously so good.  I've been craving blueberries 

all week so this really hit the spot.  I cannot wait to pick them 

fresh again this summer (like that one post here).

I hope your Wednesday treats you well 

xo

{photos, recipe, and styling by me}

To Work It

When I returned from Italy back in October I felt like I had eaten the 

entire country's worth of pasta and wine.  Then came 

Thanksgiving (x2 families), Christmas (x2 again), and various celebrations.  

Lets just say when January hit my body was NOT at it's finest or healthiest.  

It was time to get kick it back into shape.  Below are the items and things 

that inspired me and now have me a little more toned and feeling great!

1. Workouts

I made it a goal to work out at least three times a week.  Right now 

I'm averaging four! It feels amazing to set a goal that I can reach... and exceed!  

I try to run twice a week and attend both a boot camp class on Tuesdays and a 

CORE workout on Thursday.  I'm loving my weekly routine, but some nights 

I need to be home sooner and can't attend my classes. When that happens I 

turn to Fitness Blender online workouts.  They kick my butt and you will 

definitely feel it the next day!  Click here for their free online workouts.

The other tool I swear by is My Fitness Pal. This free app helps me 

track both my workouts and my diet.  Rather than just tracking calories 

it tells me what nutrients I need more or less of in my diet to make it 

balanced overall.  I'm a little addicted to say the least.

2. Shoes

I just switched shoes and now instead of running 2 miles I'm already up to 4!  

Changing up your shoes and wearing things that inspire you is so important!  

My new shoes are hot pink (these).  I love them.  I am also a huge fan of 

Zella workout pants and Lululemon zip shirt for those cool morning runs.

3. Diet

As mentioned in posts before (here, here, here) I'm doing a lot more 

meal planning while my husband goes through fire academy.  He loses up to 

10,000 calories a day so I've tried to find creative foods that sustain him 

and don't kill my get-in-shape vibe.  Some of our favorite recipes are here, here, 

here, here, and here.  I am also LOVING drinking
a lukewarm glass of lemon water each morning.  It helps me stay feeling
full, bloat less, and gives me a little push of vitamin C.

Do you have any tricks for staying healthy during a busy time?  

I'd love to hear!

xo

{Hello Fashion, Pinterest, Unknown}

March Mood Board

This week was a doozy so I needed some bright inspiration 

to welcome the weekend.  Despite the ups and downs I was reminded
by a stranger this week to stay positive and embrace the good.
He said that a person can't have a bad day, just bad moments.
He reminded everyone not to let the bad
moments take over the good.  

I loved that and I'm hoping to carry his positive vibes into the weekend.

So,  c h e e r s  to the weekend!

xo

{  Society 6   Golubka Kitchen   Ruffled   Society 6  }


See more mood boards here, here and here

Spring Things

{ 1 Rebecca Minkoff  2 Humble Chic  3 Essi adore-a-ball  4 Ray Ban  5 Cuyana  6 Steve Madden  }

Spring is definitely in the air.

And I can't help but get excited to wear sundresses and sandals.

My whole wish list was based off of the blush pink Rebecca Minkoff purse.

I have had my eye on it for a weeks, maybe this is the perfect season to wear this bag.

Below are my favorite sundress choices.
The first one is my favorite because its a perfect
transition into Spring dress.  Its long sleeves and variation
of colors is perfect when its still slightly cool outside.

{  1   2   3   4   }

What pieces are you looking forward to the most?

Happy Monday 

xo