Easter Weekend Fun!

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! I just got back on campus a couple of hours ago after a crazy, fun-filled (but sadly short) trip home for Easter weekend! We were lucky enough to have Thursday and Friday of last week off, so Mary and I headed home early Thursday morning and had such a great time spent with family and friends! We did a bit of shopping, took some classes at our favorite fitness studio with Bailey, had some great food, baked some delicious goodies, and had a great Easter with lots of fun festivities.

In honor of our annual Easter baking project, Mary and I decided to make Easter/spring themed cupcakes to bring to our family's Easter dinner! A few weeks back in Palm Springs, I found the cutest cupcake liners and toppers made from William Sonoma made by Meri Meri, a company that sells adorable baking and party accessories! We used our favorite vanilla bean cupcake mix from Trader Joes and tried a new light and fluffy vanilla bean frosting recipe linked here. We decorated some of the cupcakes with the flower toppers from the Meri Meri kit, and others with Robin's Egg candies!

The beautiful cupcakes!

Easter cupcake cross!

In addition to the cupcakes, Mary and I wanted to try making chick macarons inspired by a couple of pins we had seen on Pinterest. We used this recipe for lemon macarons with a lemon buttercream and the flavors turned out just perfect! When making the macarons we used a macaron mat for the first time, which is a silicon baking mat with raised edges for helping pipe a consistent circle shape. While the macarons turned out alright, they were a little smaller and flatter than we would have liked! Lesson learned- our macarons from the past seemed to turn out better without the mat! We used food markers purchased from a local baking store for the eyes and feet, and turns out it was harder than we thought to draw them on without puncturing the macarons!

We always spend Easter at our grandparent's beautiful house and it was such a nice day with lots of fun and laughter! Here's a silly picture of my Easter getup- dress, sweater, and necklace from J. Crew Factory! 

It is crazy to think that Mary and I only have four more weeks left of school before finals! These next few weeks are jammed packed with activities, assignments, and babysitting and before we know it summer will be here! How crazy fast time seems to fly here at school!

I hope everyone has a great week! 

xo,

Hannah 

5 Things I'm Loving This Week

I hope everyone had a great week! I am very excited for this weekend, as I will be volunteering for the OWN IT Summit here at Boston College so thought I'd share some of my favorites from this week before the next two crazy days!

1. Lilly Pulitzer for Target Lookbook-
I had heard about the Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection a few months ago, and knew that it came out sometime mid-April. I did not know they would be publishing the lookbook in March, so was very very pleasantly surprised when I came across a link to the lookbook yesterday! Oh my, are some of the things cute! I need to get my hands on one of the dresses, and the navy espadrilles, and there are many other cute things from jewelry to totes to towels and home accessories! I am sure everything will sell out incredibly quickly on April 19th, but I am still going to try and snag a few things! Such a fun, happy collection!

2. Cauliflower Tacos Recipe from Design Love Fest- 
I occasionally check out the Design Love Fest website for cute and free desktop backgrounds, and was surprised when this week I stumbled upon this amazing looking recipe! I absolutely love cauliflower (and I like good tacos too..) and these look amazing! Using panko breaded cauliflower in place of taco meat is genius and the combination of cauliflower and the mango black bean salsa looks amazing! This one went on my recipe list right away!

3. Caitlin Wilson Textiles- 
Lately I've been doing some Pinterest searching for ideas on decorating the common room in my dorm next year, and my love for the happy and fun Caitlin Wilson textiles prints resurfaced big time! I had seen Pinterest pictures of Caitlin Wilson fabric in the past, but only recently discovered how much I love the bright colorful prints and patterns! Now I want to fill my room with colorful Caitlin Wilson pillows, and the custom headboards I have seen made with her fabric are gorgeous! Aren't these color and pattern combos just adorable?

So fun and colorful!

4. Public Greens Urban Kitchen-
Mary just found this place while browsing online and told me about it today! Public Greens is an amazingly cool "urban cafeteria and microfarm" in Indianapolis, Indiana where all the profits generated and go to the Patachou Foundation, a foundation that works to provide nutritious after schools to at-risk children! All the meat and produce from Public Greens is also locally sourced, and the menu really looks delicious! Sounds like such a cool place with great food for a great cause. If I'm ever in Indy Public Greens will be a must visit!

5. Wool Felt Flowers via MyCakies-
While browsing Pinterest this week, I also found a super cool spring craft that I will definitely have to attempt soon! These wool felt flowers are so fun, and I love the wreath idea!

                                                       I hope you all have a great weekend!

xo, 

Hannah 

5 Things I'm Loving this Week

Here's another edition of a few things I'm loving this week! It's been a crazy but exciting week for me filled with midterms, interviews for activities next year, and a blog re-design!

About the blog re-design- Throughout this blogging process, one thing that has really interested me is designing a blog that truly matches my style! Since starting the blog in mid-February, I have gone through a few different "looks" and think that for now I am happy with the latest design! I customized a blogger design from 17th Avenue with my favorite colors and elements of my style! I can't wait to see where this design takes me!

1. Well + Good Boston Fit Guide-
A few weeks ago, Bailey told me about Well + Good, a cool site devoted to wellness, nutrition, and advice on living a healthy lifestyle! I check out the Well + Good website a few times a week and was surprised this week when they published a Boston Healthy City Guide! While I've been able to explore quite a bit of Boston, the Well + Good Fit Guide lists lots of healthy restaurants, fitness studios, and other cool spots I will have to add to my list of places to go!

2. PopSugar Article- 101 Amazing Pieces You'd Never Guess were from Home Goods
I think sometimes stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods get a bad rap, but over the years I have learned that if you look around and check out these stores on a consistent basis, you can find some great deals on quality items! I have purchased lots of accessories from Home Goods for my dorm room, and my aunt who is an interior designer finds cool accessories and furniture from Home Goods quite often! Some of these items are such great buys you would never know came from Home Goods! After you check out this article I'm sure you'll want to be visiting the nearest Home Goods to do a little spring decorating.

3. Habits and Happiness Article-

I am always so fascinated by the psychology of human behavior and research on related topics and recently came across this cool article! Lately, I have seen lots of articles mentioning best-selling author Gretchen Rubin's new book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of our Everyday Lives and I need to get my hands on a copy soon! The article talks about the process of forming habits, and discusses four broad human tendencies identified by Rubin which influence how we develop routines.  Instead of aiming toward large, often unreachable goals such as "New Years Resolution" type-aspirations, the article discusses working towards developing very small habits, and associating these habits with positive emotions or feelings of celebration! It is a good read, check it out!

4. Air Plants-

This is a bit of a random one, but last week while running in Walgreens, I came across a cute little air plant in a tiny owl pot! I was so shocked to see it, especially in Walgreens, as I love owls and air plants! It was a must buy and only $3! I love air plants and succulents, as they are so fun and pretty easy to take care of! I have a few potted succulents, a glass bamboo planter, and now this little air plant in my dorm! It's nice to have some living plants in my room! And by the way, Pinterest has so many cute succulent and air plant terrarium/potting ideas!

5. J.Crew Factory New Arrivals-
Now that most stores have started to switch to spring and summer clothes, I have seen lots of fun bright pieces! J.Crew Factory has some great new arrivals, including some adorable light sweaters perfect for this beginning of spring (still chilly in Boston) weather! They also have 30% off new arrivals!

Have a great first weekend of spring!

xo,

Hannah 

Spring in your step: Espadrille Edition

In honor of the weather being 55 degrees and sunny in Boston, I thought I'd share one my favorite spring shoe trends- espadrilles! Over the years these colorful, fun rope-soled shoes have become a staple in my spring and summer shoe collection and the options for colors, styles, and patterns are endless! Another great thing about espadrilles are that they are so comfortable and easy to throw on! They are perfect for spring and summer weather, and can be dressed up or down with options for wedges as well! Some of the great espadrilles I have purchased in the past have been from Sperry, Soludos, J Crew, and Nordstrom, and now so many retailers have many different styles on their racks! I recently checked out the Soludos website and their new spring collection is oh so cute! Three of the shoes in the photo below are from Soludos! 

Here are just a few pairs of adorable espadrilles I found while browsing the web! The links are below.

 1. Navy Ikat (LOFT)  2. Brown Leather (Soludos)

3. Coral Smoking Slippers (Soludos) 4. Navy and White Striped (Nordstrom)

5. Leopard Calf Hair (Soludos)  6. Tribal Patterned  (J Crew Factory) 

It's beginning to feel a lot more like spring! 

xoxo,

Hannah

Spring Break!

Last week I had the best time soaking up every moment of my spring break and spending time with friends and family!  It was so nice to be able to stop home before heading to California to see my brother in his high school play. He was Bert (the chimney sweep) in Mary Poppins and did such a spectacular job! He sang, danced (including tap!), had a pretty spot-on British accent, he does it all! Mary, Bailey, and I went to see the play with two of the girls we babysit for and we all had such a great time together. It was a quick trip home but so nice to see my family and some of my friends.

The next day Mary and I headed off to Palm Springs with our grandparents! While the weather wasn't as warm as usual the first two days, the rest of the week was gorgeous and in the 80's! The combination of the bright colored flowers, palm trees, mountains, and the bright sun was unreal and the perfect remedy for the winter blues we have been experiencing!

Downtown Palm Springs

During our trip, we did lots of shopping (as usual) and were able to check out some of our typical favorites (TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, a large outlet mall) and also some smaller, more unique shops! Between Mary and I, we were really able to find some great items and some excellent deals! I was beyond excited to find an adorable, fun pair of Kate Spade for Keds sneakers for $40 from the Rack and also a pair of navy Sperry's for $40! It was nice seeing stores filled with bright, summery colors and shorts instead of dark colors and sweaters!

Deals from the desert! Sweater from Loft Outlet ($17!), Shorts from TJ Maxx! 

Since our grandparents stay in a house on the golf course, Mary and I were able to drive a golf cart around the neighborhood and had lots of fun driving alongside the mountains! I was also able to go to the driving range a few times with my grandpa, and I am slowly becoming a better golfer!

View from our backyard! 

Mary and I had such a great time soaking up the warm weather and enjoying some great company, delicious food, and excellent shopping! I am already looking forward to the next visit to Palm Springs! It is a must visit place, so beautiful and lots to see and do!

Had to get a picture of Mary with the flowers!

                                               Can't wait for some fun posts in the next few weeks!

                                                                                   xoxo,

                                                                                 Hannah 

Becoming a Savvy Shopper

One of the things that Bailey, Mary, and I all love to do is search for great fashion steals and deals both in stores and also online! In the past, we have all gotten some AMAZING deals on some high end items, and over the years we have all become savvy shoppers in our own ways!

As we have discovered, there are many great places to look for great fashion deals, and with a bit of time, patience, and knowledge of the clothing market, you can really become a smart shopper! Here are some of our favorite stores and websites and a bit about some of the amazing finds we have came across in the past!

1. Twice-
I have discussed my love for Twice in an earlier post, but have to mention it here again! Twice is a great place to find designer clothing in excellent used condition for great prices! Though some of their stuff is definitely dated, if you really search through their items they sometimes do have some really great, on-trend clothing and handbags! One cool feature on their site is that you can sort by your size and specify which brands you like/are looking for and this information is saved each time you visit the site. Another thing I like about Twice is that they were frequently have promotions and coupon codes which make their prices even more attractive! When you first sign up, you receive a coupon code for 40% off your purchase, and you can also invite friends to join the site and receive a $20 credit for each friend! As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my favorite steals from Twice was when I purchased a Fossil foldover crossbody bag for only $17! After using some $20 credit and applying a coupon, I couldn't believe that I got such a beautiful bag for that low of a price! I have seen the bag in a few department stores and online for around $250! Mary and I have also gotten some items from J Crew, Anthropologie, Lily Pulitzer, and other brands, and each time they have been in great condition and such nice pieces of clothing!

Tips: Pay attention to the promotions going on and take advantage of the occasional 30% off coupon codes! Another crazy thing Twice is doing now is buying your unwanted gift cards from select retailers and giving Twice credit for the gift card's face value! I have had a gift card for a few years that I have not used, and recently traded it in for Twice credit which I know I will be using soon!

Some great Twice steals I have recently purchased!

2. TJ Maxx
Over the years I have definitely turned into a "Maxxinista!" I used to think that TJ Maxx didn't have the nicest things, but once I had the patience to actually look around the store, I fell in love! TJ Maxx is now one of my favorite stores to browse for hidden treasures and great fashion finds! Any time I see a TJ Maxx I always have to stop and look around. One thing I love about TJ Maxx stores is that each store is unique and has different merchandise and brands depending on the state/area/time of year! Coming to Boston from the Chicago area, I have noticed some different brands and unique finds  in the stores both here in Boston and back home! Here are some great deals I have found from TJ Maxx:

•  A few years back I purchased a  Fossil medium-sized leather crossbody for around $80 (originally $180) and I have gotten tons of use out of it!

• Some other great deals I have found from TJ Maxx include two EXACT J Crew Excursion vest look-alikes, one in the herringbone pattern and one in the navy and cream striped pattern! When I saw the vests in a store in the Boston area, I had recently purchased the real J Crew Excursion herringbone vest, and immediately bought the two vests for $30 each and sold the real J Crew vest on eBay! I am not usually one for look-alikes, but if they look exactly like the real thing, quality and style-wise, then why not save on the money! I still can't believe I found those adorable vests in my exact size!

• This past summer I purchased a pair of Jack Rogers sandals for $30 that are great summery shoes! I love checking out the shoe selection at TJ Maxx!

• I was also able to find a darling tortoiseshell Fossil watch at TJ Maxx for only $40! It has since become one of my fashion staples.

Tips: Make sure to check out the handbags, shoes, jewelry (sometimes they have adorable Kate Spade jewelry), athletic-wear (they have Lululemon-look alikes that are really great quality!), women's clothing, and don't forget about the craft/decor section and the clearance section! I have scored some adorable cards, journals, gift wrap/gift tags, and many other cute accessories from these  often-missed sections of the store!

Though I have do not own the Kate Spade Gingham tote, I have seen it at two stores recently!

3. Nordstrom Rack- 
Another great place to find great fashion finds is Nordstrom Rack! If you really take some time to look throughout the store and in the clearance sections, you can find some great items at amazing prices! In the past, I have found the best deals on shoes, outerwear, and jewelry! This winter, Nordstrom Rack had a "Clear the Clearance" deal of 25% off clearance items including shoes, and they really had some high end designer items for deep discounts! One of the items I found during the "Clear the Clearance" event was a pair of Frye Jenna Disc boots that were part of the 30% off promotion! I was able to purchase the boots for around $120, which is an incredible deal for Frye's! Some other great deals I have found in the past were on a pair of summery Sperry Anchor Espadrilles for $15 and a pair of cute New Balance tennis for $20! The shoe section is really a gold mine, and has tons of great brands for prices much lower than original retail price. This past year, Mary has also found some great deals on outerwear from the Rack! She found the North Face vest pictured below for only $30 and the beyond adorable Soia & Kyo black and white wool jacket for only $99 (originally around $400!) During this Christmas season, Nordstrom Rack also had cute initial necklaces in gold and silver for $15! I snatched an "H" gold necklace, and wear it very often!

Tips: Make sure you check out the clearance sections of the store and really take advantage of occasional discounts they offer! You can truly get excellent deals with the additional percentages off the already lowered Rack prices.

4. Ebay
Though I do not buy as much from Ebay as I do from some of these other retailers such as Twice or TJ Maxx, I have gotten some great deals from Ebay in the past and have sold many things on Ebay! Bailey is the "Ebay Queen" and manages to find the greatest deals on Ebay, and gradually I am learning some of her wisdom on how to navigate the huge Ebay marketplace! One Ebay seller that Bailey recommended to me in the past is Linda's Stuff! I have ordered a Lululemon Jacket for $40 and a pair of Lululemon workout crops for $30 from Linda's Stuff, both of which were in excellent used condition and I wear all the time! Sometimes Ebay can definitely seem overwhelming and can take a lot of time to find great deals, but the things I have found in the past have been great buys! Soon Bailey will be posting about how she finds the greatest deals on Ebay, and I can't wait for her to share her knowledge!


5. 6pm.com
Another website I love to browse for deals is 6pm! 6pm is a sister company of Zappos, that is aimed at selling designer brand clothing, shoes, and accessories for up to 75% off retail prices! 6pm has a variety of great brands, some of which include Fossil, Kate Spade, Frye, Sperry, Patagonia, Cole Haan, and HUNDREDS of others! In the past I have ordered a few pairs of Sperry's and some running shoes from 6pm, and I check out their site relatively often! About a year ago, I purchased a pair of leopard printed calf hair loafers, and I get so many compliments on them whenever I wear them!


6. Flash Sale Sites- Ruelala.com, ideel.com, gilt.com, hautelook.com
I also love checking out flash sale sites such as Rue Lala, Gilt, Ideal, and Hautelook!  Occasionally these sites can have sales from great designers, including Kate Spade, Longchamp, Tory Burch, Ray Ban, Cole Haan, Lily Pulitzer, among others! This year I ordered a Longchamp Le Pliage Large tote from Gilt in a pretty olive green/brown color for around $30 less than the normal price! Mary ordered her senior Prom dress from Ideel which was a gorgeous blue pleated long gown from Haltson Heritage for only $180 (originally around $650!) Though I don't tend to use these sites as often as some of the others listed, I love checking them out once in a while to look for great deals.

Tips: Check out these sites at the beginning of the week and peek at the calendar of designer sales for the next few days! That way if you see any brands you like, you can know to check back, and if nothing fits your fancy, you don't have to visit again!

        Hope you enjoyed this post and please share if you have found some great steals and deals from any of these places, or any others! 

xo, 

Hannah 

DIY Dorm Edition

Throughout high school, Mary and I were always so excited at the thought of designing our dorm rooms in college! We had both seen so many Pinterest pins that showed complete transformations from drabby, boring dorms to fabulous, cozy rooms, and we definitely wanted to make our rooms very comfortable and feel like home. 

During senior year, both Mary and I visited probably every TJ Maxx and Home Goods within 50 miles of our house and were able to come across some great finds! Though it seemed like we were going "over the top," in the design process, decorating our dorms proved to be beyond worth it, as it has been so nice to have a "home away from home" to relax, study, and hang out with friends!

Decorating our dorm rooms was also a great experience to start with a clean slate and design rooms of our own! We were both very budget conscious in the process, found some great deals, and did lots of DIY projects! 

Here were the design boards Mary and I came up with when beginning the design process! I chose a soft color palate of lilac purple, navy, and some light blues. Mary went with a fun and bright combo of navy, coral, and aqua!  

I ended up choosing the patterned fabric to use for my DIY headboard and it has become the focal point of my room!

                 Mary color coordinated with her roommate with bedding from PB Teen! 

After shopping around and finding some cute items online, Mary and I both couldn't be happier with how our rooms turned out! Here are some "after" pictures! 

Lessons learned: Designing a dorm, or any room, doesn't have to be a stressful and expensive process! Starting with ideas boards really helped us both organize some of our favorite colors and decor pieces. Visiting Home Goods stores and searching for treasures was such a fun process and starting early in our senior years allowed us lots of time to find just the right items! 

Hope you enjoy!

xo, 

Hannah & Mary

5 Things I Love this Week

1. This Article- Photo Evidence That America Might have the Worst School Lunches
When I came across this article last night on Brit and Co's website, I was absolutely amazed. Growing up, I had always packed a lunch to bring to school, I never wanted to get anywhere near the cafeteria food. In elementary school, junior high, and high school, so many students ate food from the cafeteria and over the years cafeteria food doesn't seem to have improved either health or variety wise! Looking at some common school lunches from countries around the world really changed my perspective on exactly how far behind America is in terms of promoting healthy, nutritious, and also great tasting school lunches! Looking at the American lunch plate filled with processed foods makes me want to gag... and wish I lived in Italy :) And this article makes me love Sweetgreen all the more! Such a great initiative!

Image via Brit + Co.com

2. The Target Dollar Section
When most people walk into Target, they tend to pass by the little dollar section towards the front and  look for their Target treasures elsewhere throughout the store. I have often done this in the past, yet every time I take a minute to venture into the dollar section I always seem to find the cutest things! A few weeks ago, I received a picture from my friend Bailey with a basketful of adorable patterned pens, pencils, notebooks, sticky notes, and other cute things! When I asked her where she found it all, I was shocked to hear that everything was from the dollar section of Target! Since then, I have ventured to many different Target stores and have made sure to check out the dollar section in each store! I have gotten some really cute stationery/scrapbooking items, all for $1 each! Bailey, Mary, and I are all obsessed! Next time you head to Target, check it out!!

3.  Designlovefest "Dress Your Tech"
One thing that helps me brighten my day and think warm thoughts in this cold weather is a fun, colorful, desktop wallpaper! I LOVE the free desktop wallpaper downloads from Design Love Fest, they have such great artist collaborations and such fun patterns and prints! They are also so easy to download and set as your wallpaper, and always make me smile whenever I open my computer!

4. Theo Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
This past weekend before the 3rd major snowstorm hit, I managed to make it to Whole Foods to stock up on some fruit, vegetables, and other things for the week! While browsing through the store, I saw some Organic Fair Trade Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups made by one of my favorite chocolate companies, Theo Chocolate! Theo is such a cool brand that sells the most amazing organic and Fair Trade chocolates, and when I saw they now also sell Peanut Butter cups, I was sold immediately! They came in a pack of two and were very reasonably priced, so I grabbed a pack and put them in the freezer! They didn't last too long, they were just too good! I will definitely be grabbing another pack next time I'm at Whole Foods!

5. Twice- liketwice.com
Due to the incredible amount of snow Boston has received in the past few weeks and the frequent shut-down of Boston's public transportation, I have been on campus/in the dorm for much more time than usual! Because spring break is quickly approaching and I have wanted to purchase a few new things, I have been doing lots of shopping online! One of the sites where I have found some great deals in the past few weeks is Twice! Twice is a site where you can both sell your used designer clothing and also purchase clothing from many top name brands at great prices! Though I was originally hesitant about purchasing from Twice, I have learned from experience as both a buyer and seller that Twice only sells clothing that is in great condition! In the past two weeks I have ordered quite a few things from the Twice website (all from either Anthropologie or J Crew) and with some great promotions each item has been $15 or under! All of the items are too cute and such great buys! On another note, Twice also sells handbags, and at the beginning of this year I somehow managed to get a Fossil Foldover Crossbody bag in a pretty metallic pewter color for $20! (I still can't believe it..) The bag looked practically new and since then I have seen the same bag in department stores for around $200! Check out liketwice.com and grab the good deals while you can!

Some of my great Twice finds!

An Introduction

Hi, I'm Hannah!

I'm so excited to enter the world of blogging! I've always wanted to combine my love for writing and for food/fashion/design/crafting, and now seemed like the perfect time! To start, forgive me for the rough aesthetic state of the blog. I wanted (to try) to make a blog all on my own, and have realized pretty quickly that it's not as easy as I thought. For example, I never thought I'd have to learn another language in this blog-making process! Computer code? It has been a learning experience for sure! I am trying not to let my frustration get in the way, knowing that I have to start somewhere! I have learned so much in just the three days I have spent putting together the rough design of this blog!

 A little about myself- I am a freshman at Boston College and originally from a Western suburb of Chicago. I'm not sure if my heart will ever leave the city of Chicago, but I've realized I'm falling in love with Boston rather quickly! Though maybe not the 40 inches of snow we've had in the past few weeks...

 I come from a family of cooks and craftsmen/women and have inherited both a love for good food and an knack for DIY/design! I share many of these interests with my twin sister Mary, who will be making frequent guests posts, along with my BFF Bailey, who will also be making many appearances! Together, we are Three of a Kind! (In the picture, Mary on left, Bailey in middle, I'm on the right!)

 I hope you'll continue to join me in my blogging adventure and enjoy the various DIY projects, delicious recipe posts, and various other fun blog posts as much as I do! I'm so excited to watch this blog grow!

 xo, Hannah