Leap Year

February 29th only happens once every 4 years and it serves as the perfect excuse to push yourself to do something out of the ordinary. If you been thinking about something- go ahead and take the leap!

photo © cookieluver33

And just because you can never have enough cocktail knowledge, here's some leap year facts:

• The Presidential elections and summer Olympics are always held during a leap year

• We rely on leap years to keep our calendar in synch with the Earth's rotations around the sun

• It's true folklore tradition that women can propose marriage on February 29th

• A person born on February 29th is known as a "leaper" or "leapling"

Mardi Gras STL style

This past weekend, I returned to St. Louis for the first time since graduating in May. It was amazing to be back in town and to see so many of my college friends. After being away, I can say that I definitely didn't fully appreciate it while living there. But thankfully, St. Louis is only a car ride away, and there are always reasons (like Mardi Gras) to go back!

Frank was pretty excited for his first Mardi Gras- he even wore some beads!

Reunited with my former roomies

View of the arch from the crowded streets

Some of my favorite STL people

Room for Romance

Happy Valentine's day! I still don't understand how people can detest a day celebrating LOVE! This happens to be one of my most favorite holidays- probably stemming from my early memories of waking up to fresh flowers from my Dad and the excitement of bringing home a box full of Valentine's from classmates (I miss those days).

In the past, I have celebrated by throwing together a party for close friends (usually with the hopes of changing their perspective on the holiday), but sadly this year I don't see this happening due to my lack of free time and planning.

BUT- if I were going to throw such a party, I would:

be wearing either this feminine frock from Anthropologie

or this very apropos heart print J. Crew skirt

be making these cupcakes

and a heart shaped pizza (my Valentine's go-to)

and decorating with delicate fresh flowers

and dishes of candies scattered throughout my apartment

I hope you all take the time to celebrate with someone special this year! XOXO

My Return to Blogging

Hello All!

It's been months (sadly close to a year) since my last post, so I thought it was about time to make my return. Let me start by giving y'all a quick catch up since my last post.

So far, I've:

• Settled into my new life in Knoxville and survived a semester of law school

• Made friends with a great new group of people

• Finished decorating my new apartment (sad to see this project come to an end)

• Gained a roommate in the form of a french bulldog named Frank Sinatra

• Discovered some of the joys of Knoxville such as the friendly faces, farmers' market, nearby smoky mountains, and the always delicious southern cuisine that I missed while in St. Louis

Overall, my life has undergone some major changes (especially in the form of time management and priorities), BUT some things remain the same (specifically my love for color, cocktails, fashion, and spontaneous adventures!)

Here are a few things I'm currently digging:

This new video by OK Go- I love their creativity and ability to always one up themselves

Kate Spade's new spring ad campaign- it's the perfect combination of graphic and girly (and who doesn't love a pop of pink)

Emily's (of Cupcakes and Cashmere) gorgeous glitter nails- such a fun update to the basic manicure

Glamorously Making Up For Lost Time Part 1

With my head spinning and swirling with thoughts of finals, graduation, making the most of my time in STL, how to occupy myself this summer, and moving to Knoxville - I haven't been thinking much about blogging (sorry!). BUT all of these thoughts did get me thinking about a few things- specifically daydreaming about glamorous carefree days filled with only the best of things to do in the Lou.

So, for part 1 of this post, I would like to share with y'all my personal necessities for a glamorous life:

1. Champagne in the fridge because (do you really need a reason?) you never know when you may want to celebrate or have a spontaneous sip of something bubbly

2. Opulent accessories to remind yourself how fabulous and glamorous you truly are throughout the day

(From the blog, Atlantic-Pacific)

3. Splurging on specialty baked goods and sweets for no reason at all

(Or try making something yourself, recipe for this cupcake can be found here)

4. Free time to be spent doing as you please- maybe this means taking a stroll to a local cafe for coffee in one of your best outfits or it could simply be an afternoon spent with dear friends that turns into an exciting evening out

(The Central West End sounds perfect for these activities)

5. Coming home to a fully made bed- tautly tucked in sheets (confession: I often skip this part) and all the throw pillows perfectly in place, only to be tossed to the floor

(Did you know Missoni is coming out with a line of bedding/ home accessories for Target this fall?)

Record Store Day

Today is Record Store Day! This day was started back in 2007 and now many stores participate and even have special releases in order to celebrate. If you looking for a fun way to spend your afternoon, go check out your local record store! For more info on the day, check out this Rolling Stone article. My plan is to spend the afternoon at Vintage Vinyl in the hopes of find some records to add to my growing collection.

It's Officially an Addiction

I really thought I had gotten enough stripes in for one week, but them I found this amazing artwork:

It's just too pretty not to share! Can you imagine if all our streets looked like this? Gene Davis is well known for his colorful vertically striped paintings. In 1972 he created "Franklin's Footpath," which was the world's largest painting at the time (pretty impressive huh?), in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rainbow striped roads are definitely in my version of heaven...what's in yours?