Working For The Weekend

What...a...week!  There's part of me that wants to say my legs feel like jelly and I'm a bit fried but I don't think you get to talk about how tired you are when the reason you're exhausted is from having too much fun?

"I mean, we just walked up and down 5th Avenue in Manhattan shopping and shopping and shopping, and the day before that we had to carry all this free stuff for blocks on the way back to the hotel!"

...That's not okay, right?  Didn't think so.  But it is true.  Also true: I had the best time at Lucky Fabb and I'm so thankful for the experience!  I met some incredible people, learned a ton, and discovered a bunch of fabulous-ness I can't wait to share with you.  In fact, every link in this week's Working For The Weekend is connected to something I experienced or encountered at some point during Lucky Fabb.

But first!  Wanna see a few snapshots?  I thought you might...

While I loved every last bit of Day 1, the vast majority of these snapshots are from Day 2.  Because as much as I adore Rachel Zoe (who was incredible, by the way) and Lauren Conrad and the hilarious Simon Doonan, Day 2 was just a little more...picturesque.  Case in point: this is me at Tiffany & Co. with a five karat ring on.  

No, I'm not engaged.  No, I'm not dropping hints to anyone in particular (unless, of course, Prince Harry is reading this...in which case, I most certainly am).  It just so happens that I started yesterday off by having breakfast at Tiffany's (can you even believe that!?) and trying on a bunch of jewelry.  Their jewelry.  Tiffany's diamond jewelry.  It was the "Am I dreaming?" moment of a lifetime.

At that point, someone could've punched me in the face and it still would've been the greatest day I've had in recent memory.  But no...there was no punching...only more incredibleness.  From Tiffany's, we headed towards Bergdorf Goodman where we reveled in a few more "is this real life?" moments...

...and where I'm pretty sure I had the best cappuccino ever made.  From this point on, the day became fun for reasons that had less to do with shopping (though there was still a good amount of shopping-induced-joy going around).  I made some great friends (who we'll talk more about in a second) and got to spend the rest of the afternoon getting to know them and enjoying their company.  It was delightful.  

Oh!  One last thing before we get to the weekend links...my outfits!  I wanted to make sure I delivered on my promise to post a few pictures today.  If I can get some better shots up later I most certainly will.  My Day 1 outfit isn't too far off from the inspiration pictures I posted in this week's Mirror, Mirror- right?  I really loved how it all came together.  And I know...I'm the worst...I didn't even get a full length shot of my Day 2 dress.  And it was incredible, too!  Floor length, really lovely...it was a definite gem.  Speaking of gems...allow me to point out the sad but true fact that that's not my necklace.  It's actually $1.4 MILLION dollars worth of diamonds from Tiffany & Co.  Seriously.  Unreal.  So...yeah...great day.  Great freaking day.

Now (finally) for the weekend links...enjoy and I'll see you Monday!

So important and so overlooked!

I love getting these every day...

Great blogs and fun new friends:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

If this book is anywhere near as hilarious as it's author's interview was, we should all read it.

I just love great ideas...

Pumped for this!

Looked for her all week long but never had a sighting...

Everything in Zara is to die for right now but especially these and these!

Inspiration Piece: Gorman X Rhys Lee

Within three seconds of seeing this picture I wanted to respond in a variety of ways, including but not limited to: yelling "this is awesome!", painting all over my clothes, painting all over the walls, and sharing the photo with you.  In lieu of options B & C, I rounded up a few items that capture the textures, colors and shapes found in this pretty little work of art.  FYI: this jumpsuit goes on sale this Friday as part of artist Rhys Lee's collaboration with designer Lisa Gorman.  To check out killer photos of the line and/or hear some super fun insights into the Gorman X Rhys Lee launch, check out this post on The Design Files!  

1. Vanessa Mooney The Mesa Dangle Earrings, Shopbop $50  2. Abstract Polymer Clay and Resin Ring, Etsy $20  3. House of Harlow Robyn Round Frame, The Outnet £55  4. Kevin O'Brien Fingerpaint Pillow, Joss and Main Photo Via: The Design Files

The Foodie Files

So we've talked about my Dad's world famous pizza before, but we haven't discussed his recent preoccupation with einkorn flour.  Long story short, einkorn is an ancient grain...which means it doesn't have any of the unnatural nonsense you'll find in modern processed flour.  Einkorn is packed with nutrition, high levels of protein and is lower in gluten than it's regular counterpart.  Making einkorn pizza dough is a little bit different than the pizza methods we've discussed in the past so I wanted to do a quick overview of one of my Dad's recent creations.  Though it goes without saying, there's some mega deliciousness going on here...

Ingredients:

For Starter:
1/2 cup einkorn flour
1/4 cup water
1/8 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp molasses

For Dough:
1 1/2 cups mature starter
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups einkorn flour

For Toppings:
Extra virgin olive oil

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated reggiano or locatelli cheese

About 2 cloves sliced garlic

4-5 sliced figs

1-2 sliced peppers (hot or mild)

1/2 cup sliced tomatoes

1/4 black cured olives

(Makes 2 large pizzas or 6-8 personal pan pizzas)

There are 2 ways to ferment the dough...using starters, you can use a 'warm rise' or a 'cold rise'.  My dad usually uses the warm rise method and leaves the dough covered with a kitchen towel out in a stainless steel bowl overnight.  For the starter, mix flour, water, yeast and molasses and let it stand until the next day.  Using this starter requires less yeast and jump starts the dough.

The next day combine your mature starter with olive oil, salt, and flour.  Mix ingredients, working in the flour until you have a soft dough. If the dough gets too dry, add some more starter. If you've used all the starter, add a bit of water.

Once you've kneaded the dough, use a kitchen aid mixer with a dough hook.  Cover and let rest for half an hour to an hour more...it should double in size (this lets the dough relax so forming the pizza is easier).

Preheat oven to 450F (some people prefer hotter...try 550F if your oven will take you there).  Heat pizza stone inside oven (we used an out door brick oven, but that's another story).

Pat down and shape your dough to whatever size you want.  Once the dough is rolled out, spread a little corn meal on a pizza peel.  Spread 1-2 TBS of olive oil on dough, then add mozzarella cheese, grated cheese, sliced garlic, sliced figs, sliced tomatoes, olives and a dash of salt and pepper.  Shimmy the pizza dough off peel onto pizza stone and bake 10- 15 minutes watching carefully.  Simple and scrumptious!

Mirror, Mirror

Today is kind of a big deal.  I'm sitting in my hotel room in New York city...during fashion week...getting ready to go the Lucky Fabb Blogger Conference.  Is that too freaking cool or what?  I decided to use today's Mirror, Mirror to showcase the inspiration behind the outfit I put together for the occasion.  As you'll see when I post pictures this Friday, my actual outfit is alarmingly close to the one below.  Oh victory, you taste so sweet.

1. Pleated Leather Dress, Alexander McQueen $4,795  2. Classic Link Necklace, J.Crew $165  3. Blake Crocodile Embossed Satchel, Michael Kors $1,195  4. Rachel Zoe Hudson Platform Wedges, Forzieri $495  5. Tortoise Bracelet Watch, Anne Klein $65  6. Gold Bangles, BCBGeneration $38

Get It Together: Midcentury Modern Flair

1. Suzanne Kasler Sunburst Mirror, Ballard Designs $99  2. Feathered Fanfare Lampshade, Anthropologie $998  3. Red Velvet Lumbar Throw Pillow, World Market $16.99  4. Ivory Mongolian Lamb Pillow, Instyle Decor Beverly Hills $79  5. Apollo Pillar Holder, Z Gallerie $24.95-$29.95  6. Vintage Zebra Chair, One Kings Lane  7. Iron Swivel Barstool, Zinc Door $552

Best Day Ever: Wilson Country Fair

As most of you know, I have somewhat of an extreme vernacular.  In this last weekend alone I saw the "funniest thing I've ever seen", had the "most irritating flight of all time" and ate the "best pizza I've ever had in my life" (though I actually maintain that pizza one is true).  For this reason, I've aptly titled this brand new series (!!!) best day ever...partly because I can't help but talk that way but also because it's what I want this series to chronicle.  Great moments with great friends wearing great clothes in great places...sounds like the best day ever to me!  As an added bonus, I'm finally filling the "personal style post"-shaped hole that's existed in Design Muse for awhile...needless to say I'm pumped about it.

Since our inaugural Best Day Ever post falls on Labor Day, I based it around my favorite end of summer treat....the Wilson County Fair!  I brought one of my nearest, dearest pals along for the (literal!) ride and styled us both for pre-fall fun.  Now...if you're thinking, 'that's not your friend, that's a professional model', then you are exactly half right.  While Nina is technically a model, she's also very much my real life compadre.  Which means I get to pay her in Audrey Hepburn movie marathons instead of cash...it's a great arrangement.  

First, let's talk about all our fun.  We rode classic rides, ate ridiculous-but-awesome food (spiral potatoes!  deep fried Oreos!  chocolate covered cheesecake!  and the list goes on...) played hilarious games and people-watched like we've never people-watched before.  It was everything one could hope for in a county fair.

In terms of our outfits, I wanted to keep things fun but casual.  Nina's look was all about balancing trendy with refined so I kept my focus on choosing the right shapes and fabrics.  For example, the chiffon leopard shirt lightened the trendy (but heavy) leather shorts, while the classic Chanel-esque cardigan polished the ensemble as a whole.  See how it all works together?

My outfit, on the other hand, was an exercise in subtly marrying patterns, brights and neutrals.  I paid special attention to scale (big stripes with small leopard pattern) and the use of pops of a single color.  

While the majority of our outfits are from previous seasons, we are wearing a few items currently on the market including both our necklaces (Nina's, mine), and my shoes...for more information about other pieces we're wearing feel free to shoot me an e-mail!

A million thanks to Nina and our photographer, the multi-talented Kelsey Wells, for making this idea come to life.  So...what do you guys think of this new series?  Good?  Bad?  Best thing ever?  Comment below and fill me in!

Design Musings