remix archives // sheer salmon

I got this shirt at the beginning of spring, mostly because by that time I was tired of bundling up in warm fabrics and was desiring something a bit more sheer and flowy.  I like that, while the fabric itself is sheer and lightweight, it still has structure, what with the pockets and the shoulder detailing.  It's actually a really great piece for layering, which makes it ideal for remixing!  I can throw it on over or under a dress to give the dress a new and different look.   I love how the little collar pops out when I wear it under a dress.  It gives the look a little preppy feel.  The salmon/coral color is also something I really love.  I don't really have anything else in my closet that is the same color, but it seems to be a really versatile color and pairs well with a lot of other colors!

the blogging paradox

Yesterday I received a halloween care package from my mom!  She filled it with all kinds of halloweeny treats and goodies.  I love surprises like that.  It's so great to know that someone cares about you out there, even if they are far away and can't hang out.  It's a bummer to live so far away from both my mom and my best friend, especially on those days where you just want to go out for a drink or two and complain about random stuff to someone who knows you and won't think you're a complete whiner or mega bitch.  Well, maybe you are those things, but only for a half hour until you've vented and then everything is right in the world once again.  You know what I mean.


dress/courtesy of miss patina :: cardigan/forever 21 :: tights/target  jacket/tulle via lulu e. bebe :: shoes/courtesy of minnetonka :: photos by Dan
Isn't it just so refreshing to be around someone who knows you completely?  When you're around that person you can just relax and be yourself because you know that they know your character and your history, so when you say something, all that history and character factors into what you said.  I think that's definitely something that's lost on blogs.  I mean, I try to be as honest and "me" as possible on this blog.  I try to be authentic and genuine in my writing, but I can never "let go" because you guys don't know me completely.  You weren't there with me when I was a kid, you don't remember what I was like in junior high.  You didn't send me raspberry chocolate candies from See's when I broke up with my high school boyfriend during my freshman year of college.  You weren't the ones who I ran to after my first kiss to spill all the "deets".  Sometimes I wish you guys were.  But the fact of the matter is, you are mostly strangers to me... as odd as that seems.  I write on here about 7 days a week, but it's mostly one sided.  Isn't that a kind of strange part about blogging?  I mean, we get to know these people who are sort of ... strangers?  But we identify with them, and we enjoy watching them grow and have life happen to them.  I've seen some of my favorite bloggers get married and have kids and have enjoyed sharing in their life experiences.  It's intensely personal, yet kind of impersonal at the same time.  What a paradox!  

pumpkin cupcakes with maple cream cheese frosting

I, like many people I know, absolutely love that fall means the beginning of pumpkin everything.  Pumpkin is seriously one of my favorite flavors and I love pretty much anything made with pumpkin.  I'm pretty sure my favorite part of Thanksgiving since I was a kid has been that there's always pumpkin pie.  Our wedding cupcakes were even pumpkin!  I saw a recipe for pumpkin cupcakes on pinterest and I'd be wanting to try a recipe from Vintage Cakes, so I decided to try out the maple cream cheese frosting for the tops.  And what's cuter than some mellowcream pumpkin treats to top them off?

(cupcake recipe via Honey & Jam, frosting recipe found in Vintage Cakes)

Cupcake Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup firmly packed dark-brown sugar


1/3 cup granulated sugar


2 cups cake flour


2 teaspoons baking powder


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1 teaspoon ground ginger


1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


1/8 teaspoon ground cloves


1/2 teaspoon salt


1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


2 large eggs


1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon vanilla


1 1/4 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin


1. Preheat your oven to 350° and prep your cupcake pans with 18 liners.

2. Beat the butter and sugars on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and pepper.

3. Add the eggs 1 at a time to the butter & sugar mixture, scraping down the sides after each addition. Alternate adding the flour and milk mixtures, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat in the pumpkin until smooth.

4. Distribute the batter among the cupcake liners fill them 3/4 full. Tap the filled pans once on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on racks completely.

While the cupcakes are baking, get your frosting going!

Frosting Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small cubes
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp instant espresso powder (I used that Starbucks Via stuff)
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup pure maple syrup

1. Beat the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 1 minute on medium, until it's smooth.  Add the cream cheese and beat until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.

2. Dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla, and then add this to the mixture.  Add the maple syrup and continue beating until smooth and well blended.  If the frosting isn't firm enough to work with you can stick it in the fridge for a bit.

3. You can either pipe the frosting on (I used a ziplock with the corner snipped off), or just slather it on.  Try not to eat it all before it makes it to the top of your cupcakes.  I also dusted a bit of nutmeg on the top, but cinnamon or raw sugar would also look nice.

  

time traveling

Last week Mandy did an outfit post titled "fall as f*ck," and that's exactly how I feel in this outfit.  These photos are saved on my computer in a folder named "superfall."  Naming outfit photo folders is a fine art, and highly sophisticated at that.  I got this top (a dress, actually) back in 2008 as my first purchase from Ruche, and the print is just so perfect for fall.  Dan said it looked like a hawaiian print when he saw it, and I'd always just seen it as an autumn, leafy print, but he's kind of right!

top/ruche :: skirt + tights/target :: blazer + boots/courtesy of modcloth
The car in the background of these photos is an older model, probably from the 80's or so.  Sometimes when I'm on a street and the only thing that dates the area is a car or something else, I'll imagine that I'm living that moment in that time period.  I used to do this at college sometimes.  I went to the same college that my mom and dad went to and met at, and during my freshman year lived in the same dorm that my mom was in her freshman year.  I've always loved classic rock, so there'd be times when I was listening to Boston or something and would pretend that it was playing on vinyl instead of my laptop, and that it was 1979.  I used to think that if I was in college in 1979, I'd probably be friends with my mom.  I think that could be dangerous though, not just for the whole space time continuum thing.  Though, how awesome would it have been to go to a Heart concert with my friend Sue in 1979?  Sounds like so much fun it would definitely be dangerous.  Oh, Sue B, you crazy redhead you.  Hi Mom!
Okay, well I've probably lost you all now with my bizarre ramblings about hanging out with my mom in a paradoxical situation where we're going to a Heart concert in 1979.  I wonder if my future kid(s) will imagine what life was like in 2012.  I guess if this blog is still around in 2032, they'll get to read all about it.

Zou Bisou Bisou

Late one night last week I found myself dancing around the house to 60's french girl pop music in nothing but some sexy lingerie and it was The. Best.  I woke up the morning after feeling what I can only assume is the hangover of such activities, causing me to want to dress in a way which I would imagine a french girl would dress (stereotypically, I suppose, according to my brain).  I just need a cigarette hanging from my fingers to complete the look, but since I don't smoke I didn't feel like going out and buying a pack just to fulfill my french outfit desires.  I did sit outside a cafe sipping on a tasty beverage in a fancy mug and writing in a journal, though, so perhaps that makes up for it.
I always imagine the stereotype of a "french girl" to have that sort of undone, disheveled chicness.  She doesn't care if her hair is messy or a bit greasy, has runs in her tights, and doesn't care if her outfit is chosen from a pile of dirty clothes on the floor.  She hangs out at cafes talking with interesting people, drinking black coffee and smoking cigarettes, and scrawls her deep thoughts in nondescript journals.  I love scrolling through The Sartorialist and seeing the interestingly dressed guys and girls he captures with his lens.  I think it'd be cool to roam the streets of Paris or Milan trolling for interesting people to photograph.  

top + scarf/h&m :: vest/thrifted+diy :: jacket/courtesy of asianicandy hat/nordstrom :: skirt/thrifted :: belt + boots/target  bag/courtesy of handbag heaven :: tights/courtesy of modcloth
This whole "oxblood" trend thing seems kind of silly.  Since when is cranberry/wine not a popular fall color?  It's definitely one of my favorite colors to wear in the cooler months because it's so rich and saturated, the opposite of the grey days we have here.  I have about three or four pairs of cranberry colored tights, but as I was looking through my closet the other day I realized I don't have any dresses or skirts in the color.  Perhaps I just like to accessorize with it?  Well either way, I guess it's good to know I'm accidentally totally on trend this fall!  
Having a style blog means I get asked questions about trends relatively frequently, and I always sort of feel bad when people ask me about my favorite trend, or what trend I'm looking forward to, because I really don't know much about trends.  One of the reasons I dropped out of my fashion journalism masters program was because I realized I had absolutely no interest in reporting on or creating trends, and it seems like most of the fashion industry feeds off of such things.  I definitely feel the blow back of trends, as they are interpreted by my fellow style bloggers and as they trickle down to stores like forever21 and H&M, but if you asked me what's gonna be hot for spring 2013 I'd probably say something like, "florals?"  because... aren't florals always on trend for spring?  Honestly I think I'd rather be a follower than a leader when it comes to trends.  I just like wearing things that make me feel good, and if that's on trend or ahead of whatever trend is about to hit, then that's cool I guess, but it's definitely not on my radar.  Maybe this is just a symptom of growing up in Alaska where all the trends hit two years late anyway, so I'm used to being behind the times.  Besides, when you're behind the times, you get all the old trends on sale!