Zucchini Chips Recipe

I saw an image on Pinterest that made me want to figure out how to make something (hello, every day of my life). It was a mouth-watering, if not slightly blurry, photograph of zucchini chips. After many clicks I found no actual recipe so made one up that is really easy and renders a seriously delicious snack.

Drizzle sesame, olive, or grapeseed oil onto a baking sheet and lay out thinly-sliced zucchini, slightly over-lapping, onto it and drizzle a smidgen more on top.

 *I swear by this delicious Sesame Oil. It adds such a tasty flavor to your stir fry, veggies, or whatever you're making. Saute` some garlic and almonds in this and you can get anyone to eat their brussel sprouts!

Sprinkle a little sea salt and parmesan cheese on top and bake in the oven on 350 for *30-45 minutes. Eat and enjoy!

*I give a window here because all ovens cook differently, really we should all have an oven thermometer to tell us just how off they can be. Mine usually takes longer so you may only need 30 minutes. It also depends on how crunchy you want them. I dig them with a crunchy texture so kept them in there a bit longer. Let me know what you find works for you in a comment!

"That sounds like poetry."

You know when you meet someone for the first time and it feels like coming home and you wonder how you lived your whole life without them? That is how I felt when I saw Moonrise Kingdom.

Before I even met you, perfect film of mine, I loved you.

 Aesthetically PERFECT with a story and characters to die for, before it was even half-way through this film jumped to being tied with The Royal Tenenbaums as the TOP Wes Anderson. MAYBE it has the top slot overall, I don't know, it's overwhelming to EVEN THINK ABOUT.

I guess I'll just have to watch both films forever and ever until the answer is perfectly clear. 

Finnish Fabric

From my home: Vintage Finnish sailing fabric that I used to re-cover my bathroom chair with to add to the beachy vibe in the room. Should I have cleaned it perfectly before snapping a photo? YES. But I didn't.

Juice Video

Sneak peek: juice video in the making! Until the video airs, check out my FAV juice recipe.

PALAZZO PANTS

I am never taking them off my palazzo pants from American Apparel. This is what I wore to Petra's bachelorette party, along with a deep purple chiffon jacket (see it here!) and my fringe necklace.


 These are next on the must-have list.

Post-Shower & Bachelorette

 

 My bestest girl, Petra, had the time of her life this weekend at her downtown Columbus bachelorette party and poolside bridal shower. I am completely exhausted and so happy to have been able to watch my dearest comrad beam and smile all weekend long as she was showered with love and spoiled rotten by her closest friends.

The shower decor consisted of a few key pieces I made that I'll share with you in an up-coming video. We had mimosas with umbrellas and retro striped straws, retro candy from our childhood, tasty cupcakes in colors that matched the tissue paper fringe tassle garland. 

What a special and aesthetically pleasing way to celebrate one of the loves of my life.

Pretty Preparation

My apartment has been all gold confetti and peach/pink/metallic tissue paper all week in preparation for my very best friend's bachelorette party and bridal shower weekend. As the maid of honor, I am throwing both parties with a lot of love and a little DIY. The car comes to pick me up in less than an hour and my main concern/anxiety is leaving my little puppies behind. I always hate leaving them, but man oh man, I LOVE being with my best girl.

Will share more and show you how to add some pretty DIY elements to your party on MACC when I get back.

Cup of Jo + MACC

If you have been with me for a minute, you might know that Cup of Jo is my fav. So I am incredibly honored to have my Colorblock Toe Ballet Flat be a feature on Joanna Goddard's aesthetically-perfect blog. Soon there will be a step-by-step tutorial with gorgeous photos by Jess Edwards. I will surely post a link when it is up on everything (aka my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, everything).

Sneak Peek: DIY Chevron Box

Project Sneak Peek: DIY Chevron Painted Box will go up on CRAFT tomorrow. (Pssst..I blog for CRAFT daily.)

How-To: Style a Bathing Suit

1 suit, 3 ways



We wear bathing suits all summer and in this video I show you three ways to style one.

Essentials: Wedding & Engagement Ring

The essential I literally NEVER EVER take off of my body is my wedding ring. I wear my engagement ring most of the time too, but I never remove my band. Just can't. The band we had made by Elma Blint, a local designer whom we found at Brooklyn Flea in 2008. We helped design it and provided the ice. The four tiny diamonds were from Will's grandmother's wedding band and the 7 diamonds in the middle were from the engagement ring my dad gave my stepmom. My parents up-graded on their 10th anniversary and at some point and gave us the ring to use. this method meant we didn't have to support the diamond industry, we could recycle family gems, and got to create a one-of-a-kind custom piece. It felt right to us and the rings mean everything to me.

 

The engagement ring belonged to my husband's paternal grandmother whose wedding anniversary is September 15th, the the same day Will proposed and the anniversary of the day we adopted Gracie. It is a vintage platinum art deco-style ring, just like the photos of vintage rings I had looked at on my own. I would have picked it out of a million rings had I had the choice. I love it.

TGIF

Have a relaxing weekend!

DIY Driftwood Wall Garden

Bring a bit of the beach into your home with this dreamy Driftwood Wall Garden. A super-easy weekend project that takes less than an hour adds a relaxed vibe to any space.



Check out the easy how-to above or right here.

My Make-Up Essentials

In the summertime I don't wear a lot of make-up, but when I do I have some favorites that I swear by. To give your cheeks a natural sun-kissed glow, Dallas bronzer is fantastic. It costs $28 which sounds like a lot, but it lasts FOREVER. You will seriously have it for over a year and it always makes you look and feel refreshed and ready!

Okay, ladies, this is the eye liner that you are going to want to pick up to apply the perfect cat-eye to your lids. I have tried several different brands and methods for a seamless cat eye effect, and this Maybelline Eyestudio is the only one that has been easy. Before you apply, dust on a tiny bit of powder onto your lid. Then dip the brush into the liner and, starting from the inner corner, paint on a cat eye layer by layer. Building the cat eye with thin layers prevents caking and gives you more control. When you have the perfect shape, gently pat on another light dusting of powder to set. Super simple and leaves a dramatic effect.

What are your make-up essentials that all ladies NEED TO KNOW about? Any secrets or tips for seamless applications?

Essentials: Gracie Necklace

For the third installment of the Essentials series, I share with you my very favorite thing. Aside from my engagement and wedding rings, this is my most treasured possession. It is a silhouette necklace by Love & Victory that I coveted upon seeing in early 2009. Gracie had just survived her first bought with cancer and when we found out her prognosis was 5 years instead of 5 months (yes, it was a cruel moment in time) I felt compelled to have something tangible to commemorate the feat and to celebrate her life. Yes, I realize that these are usually meant for actual mothers of human babies, but I didn't care. I had my heart set on it. I asked for it for Christmas from both my mom and husband (since it's a big ticket item, our classy way of saying 'spensive), and when I didn't receive it I asked AGAIN the next year. A little louder this time. On Christmas morning I opened it and cried tears of gratitude for Gracie and the necklace that is a constant reminder to cherish every second. I never take it off.

In full disclosure, I reach for it whenever I need to muster up the strength to be the woman Gracie believes I am.

13th & 2nd

Oh, New York City, I love you.

Essentials: Evil Eye

Another daily essential, a piece I feel naked without, is this evil eye necklace. My mom received it as a gift from a friend when I was little. I always loved it and in my 20's she gave it to me. I LOVE it. I never take it off. While I am obsessed with it's aesthetic look, the essential aspect of it is more the idea that somehow my mom is magically watching over me and helping me ward off anything negative. Weird, superstitious, and unrealistic? Maybe. But it's a piece of jewelry that has become a source of comfort and solace along with one of beauty.

Essentials: Tear Drop Bracelet & Square Ring

As women we know who we are, what we like, and what makes us feel beautiful. If you are a woman like me, you have countless pieces of clothing that do just that, but truthfully usually wear the same 10 basic pieces that you love the most. Maybe you, too, have a full-on library in your home, but have a stack of select must-read, all-time favorite books that you return to time after time. We all have a lot of things and favorites, but what are our "essentials"? Starting with jewelry, this week I want to share some of my favorite essentials with you.




I have a beautiful collection of jewelry that I have hunted and gathered and been given over the coarse of my life. I have jewelry boxes full of vintage rhinestones and mod baubles galore, but I always come back to my "uniform".  Most days you'll find these simple basics adorning my neck, wrists, and fingers. Two pieces of the uniform are the above square ring and teardrop bracelet. The ring I found in a boutique in downtown Columbus, Ohio with my best friend Petra. It's twin is in silver and is on her finger. A modern day, grown-up friendship necklace, if you will. The teardrop bracelet designed by Fay Andrada, is a favorite find from a local (and also fav)  Catbird. I coveted the delicate, feminine set for months. As my mom always does, she listened, then secretly bought one while she was visiting and I wasn't paying attention. It means so much more since it was from my her.

What are your favorite jewelry pieces that you wear day after day?

Madewell Sneak Peek

To get the week started off in style Madewell is offering their Fall 2012 Collection a day early for those of us die-hard fans. I would live in this striped dress and this penfield wayland denim trail shirt. Best of all: a classic poppy red toggle coat.

Happy Weekend

Have a beautiful, balanced weekend.

Baked Tilapia Recipe

I made tilapia for the first time while at the beach and it was a mouth-watering success. It was easy and delicious and below is the recipe I used. As per usual, I came up with it after glancing at a few different suggestions then picking and choosing elements that I like from each one to create my own. So far, so good!

Baked Tilapia Recipe:

You'll need:

Talapia
Butter
2 Lemons
Chives (or your preferred herb)


Estimate 1/2-1 pound of fish for each person. Rinse your talapia in cool water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Butter a Pyrex baking dish and add another tablespoon of chopped unsalted butter to the bottom of the dish.

Add your talapia to the pan and add a little more butter and squeeze a whole lemon on top. (Remove the seeds beforehand.)

Dice your chives and sprinkle them atop your talapia.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Serve with extra lemons slices, and with whole grain rice and a delicious fresh organic veggie like tomatoes or corn on the cob. Enjoy!

Fresh Summer Juice Recipe

Fresh Summer Watermelon Juice Recipe:

Add  watermelon, pineapple, cucumber, lemon, and ginger to your juicer. (I have the Cuisinart Juice Extractor and I swear by it.)

Add 1 heaping tablespoon of flaxmeal & 2 ice cubes to your glass.

Pour your juice and enjoy!

Happy 4th of July

Have a happy and safe holiday with your friends and family!

We're back!