Happy Valentine's Day!!! // 2016

Hi Guys... Happy Weekend (almost!)!

I already posted some Around the World Vday Date Night ideas... but I just wanted to leave you with this sweet little comic. It's by Liz Climo.... and it's adorable. I pulled it from her Facebook page, because I think you guys need to know about her!!

If you aren't already in love with her adorable little animal comics... start following her here. Seriously, they're so cute and always make me smile.

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Any fun plans?!?

I'm hoping to have a nice relaxing weekend at home with KC... and maybe make some headway on the past few seasons of Downton.. it's only a matter of time before someone says, "and then the whole abbey caught on fire... and they all died!" LOL. No patience for spoilers... at all.

XO,

Alexandra

Around the World Valentine's Day Dates // 2016

Ah, Valentine's Day... I know some of you hate it, but stick with me here... Even if you aren't into commercialized holidays... who doesn't dream of jetting off somewhere fabulous with your fella, lady, friends... etc.?!?

While we can't always jet off somewhere exotic... we can usually get our hands on a good movie.

I have put together a few little movie night / themed dinner pairings that are perfect for a laid back date any night of the year, including (but not limited to) Feb. 14th. This would be great for Galentines as well!

These movies should be rent-able if not on Netflix/Amazon Prime. Much of the food can be found at World Market or the like. Pinterest is obviously a treasure trove of recipes for those who like to cook... I've linked some recipes into this post. Not your thing? Take out, my friends. Take out!

My Movie Coding:

RomCom = RC, Drama = D, Classic = C, Foreign = F, Period Drama = PD, Action = A, Mini Series = MS, Quirky/Indie = Q, Musical = M, Animated = AN.

* denotes a personal favorite of mine (and/or mine & KC's)

Ireland:

Music: Why not queue up some Celtic Woman or an Irish themed playlist?
Dinner: Shepard's Pie, Bangers and Mash, Corned Beef and Cabbage
Movies: Leap Year (RC), The Quiet Man (C), with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, or Tristan and Isolde (D) or Ondine (D).
Dessert: Bailey's Blondies or Irish Apple Cake.
Breakfast: Bailey's Spiked French Toast + Irish Coffee...?

It's actually a leap year this year... so you could always save that one for the end of the month. :)

France:

Music: A French soundtrack,
Dinner: Quiche and a salad.
Movies: Amelie (F), Chocolat (PD + Johnny Depp!), & French Kiss* (RC).
Dessert: Chocolates, macarons, pastries, coffee or champagne.
Breakfast: A croissant with berry jam, and cafe au lait.

England:

Music: Your favorite band from "across the pond."
Dinner: Fish and chips, Mushy Peas, Meat Pies...
Movies: Anything ala Jane Austen (PD) will do, or if you're looking for something more modern, pick up the hysterical Bridget Jones's Diary (RC), Notting Hill (RC), Love Actually(RC/D), The Holiday (RC)... For something kind of quirky, check out About Time (Q/D).
Dessert: "Biscuits" (cookies!) and tea, Eton Mess (pudding/trifle!)
Breakfast: A full English breakfast! Or maybe just scones and tea...?

Greece:

Dinner: Hummus, falafel, gyros, olives.... salad, lentil soup, kebabs...
Movies: Troy (PD/A + Brad Pitt anyone?), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (RC), or another Nia Vardalos flick My Life in Ruins (RC)
Dessert: Baklava and Turkish coffee for dessert... ? Yes, please!

Australia:

Ok... this one is a tad skimpy... but I just love this movie called Danny Deckchair* (that's a lawn chair for you Americans!) It's a really great RomCom.... funny and sweet. You should rent it, right now! I have no idea what a good Australian dish would be (Kristen?) .... but in the movie they have a "Pancake Brekkie"... so, you know, just make pancakes. Breakfast for dinner for the win! It's like dinner and dessert all at once! #winning If you wanted to... you could totally listen to Vance Joy. Just sayin'.

Canada:

Ah, Canada! I love Canada!

Dinner: Poutine. What is it? French fries, with curds of cheese, and brown gravy on top. It sounds kind of strange... but it's like melty cheesy nachos.... Does that even make sense? Just say yes.
Movies: What If (Q/RC + Daniel Radcliffe)! Upon googling... this one also looks good (RC). Or you could always go with Anne of Green Gables (C/PD).
Dessert: Maple Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, Beaver Tails (Fried flat donuts topped with your choice of topping).

New York City

Music: Sinatra
Dinner: hot dogs with your favorite toppings or New York style pizza
Movies: Breakfast at Tiffany's (C/D?), Cruel Intentions (D), a few '90's favorites: One Fine Day (RC), Sleepless in Seattle (RC), and You've Got Mail (RC), West Side Story (M), When Harry Met Sally (RC)....... There are just TONS of movies that take place in New York!
Dessert: A black and white cookie (THIS RECIPE IS SO GOOD!) or New York style cheesecake.

Russia:

Dinner: Stroganoff , Piroshki (meat pies), Chicken Pelmeni (dumplings).
Movies: Dr. Zhigavo (C/PD - BBC / 1960's), Anna Karenina (C/PD - 2012 - Kiera Knightly / 1948 - Vivienne Leigh, 1938 - Greta Garbo), War and Peace (C/PD - 2016 Mini Series - Lily James, 1958 - Audrey Hepburn), Anastasia* (AN).
Dessert: Apple Sharlotka (fluffy apple cake), or Pryoniki (honey spice cookies).

Multiple Destinations:

Where: England, Africa, China, The U.S.
Dinner: African Sweet Potato Stew, Take out Chinese.... eggs and toast... (really anything here..)
Movie: Hector and the Search for Happiness (Q/C) - I loved this book, the movie was good too. It's sort of a fun adventure.

There you have it, some fun little ideas for your Valentine's day plans, or perhaps a different date night this year. :)

**Please do IMDB before watching ... I don't want you getting something super sad if that's not what you're into! :)**

What are you guys planning for the weekend? Anything fun?

What are your favorite kind of dates? (year round!)

Anyone else LOOOVE French Kiss?! (see below)

XO,

Alexandra

DIY Watercolor Mani for Valentine's Day // Lazy Girl Basics

I love having polish on my nails, but often when I try to do something super fancy... it fails. Which is such a bummer. We've all been there right? The first step is done, you go to add the easy half moon or tip... and the whole nail is botched. Surely I'm not the only one.

Well this manicure is great* for two reasons:

1) It's easy, and it doesn't have to be perfect. (shaky hands? no big deal, lack of polish finesse? even better). In fact this mani looks better the more varied it is!

2) You can actually do this on top of a chipped mani. Yep. Those once pretty nails can be refreshed starting with the second step of this process. No more chips, pretty nails again!

Sound good? Here we go.

Supplies & Prep:

Prepped Nails (w/ base coat applied & dried)
1 Light Colored Nail Polish (I used 100% Pure's 12:51)
1 Darker Colored Nail Polish (I used Essie's 'Jelly Apple' (red), but also liked 'plumberry' (pink))
Top Coat
Remover etc. for touch ups

1) Apply your lighter color to all of your nails. Be patient. Let dry.

2) Apply darker color over the top of each nail. Start about halfway down and fill in with strokes to the top. Do this in strips to give it a more 'painted' type look. You can decide if you want to use less polish and make it look watercolor-y or more polish, which will look more like an oil painting. Don't worry if some parts are thicker than others, if there are curves or indentions in your polish, the variance will make it look more artsy. :) Let dry, completely.

3) Add top coat. Let dry again. 

Another way you could try this mani is with a darker color on the bottom and a metallic color over the top.

I personally think this would be really pretty with a lilac and a plum, or a gold over a bright pink. Or black with nude or white. See? really anything works. :)

You are one step closer to being a manicure master.

What are you planning for this weekend?

My v-day inspiration, here, and outfit, here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

XO,

Alexandra

*Disclaimer: It's not for everyone, it's kind of got an artsy flair to it, you can't be into perfection. But, if you want to go with the flow, and don't mind asymmetry... this is for you!

My Funny Valentine's Outfit // It's Not Actually Funny...

Valentine's Day is Saturday, and if you couldn't tell I'm a little bit excited.

This week I am linking up a Valentine's Day look with the girls from the Creative Closet.

I wanted to chose something pretty, and in Valentine's hues, but nothing too formal or fancy.

I decided to pair this thrifted red blazer with a creamy lace tee for a girly but structured look. I chose dark wash skinnies, cuffed above the ankle, and tan ankle booties to round it off.

I think this is an outfit that I would be comfortable in on many different types of Valentine's dates. A girl's night, Chinese food & bowling, a movie and ice cream...

Tee: $20?, TJMaxx, Old - similar

Blazer: $6, Goodwill - similar

Skinnies: $16, TJMaxx, Old

Ankle Booties: $35, TJMaxx - similar
Earrings: Dillard's, $20?, OLD - similar 1 & 2
Clutch: VS Pink, $20, Old - similar

Total: $97
Recent Total: $41

What are you hoping to do this Valentine's Day?

Netflix and Ice Cream is 100% an acceptable answer... and sounds pretty darn good to me! :)

Like this? Check out my V-day mani here. 

XO,

Alexandra

Valentine's Inspiration // 2015

Oh Valentine's Day, you stole my heart when I was just a little girl. Wandering through the pink and red aisles at Walgreen's, marveling at the 'romantic cards' and 'cute teddy bears'.

While the holiday comes off quite a bit more commercial now, my love of romance, and of all things girly hasn't faded in the least.

I want to celebrate and treat my loved ones as much as possible, so if Valentine's Day is another reason, sign me up!

Here are some photos from Pinterest that have really been inspiring me this year!

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Check out my Valentine's Day outfit, here, and my DIY mani here.

What about you, are you a Valentine's Day lover? - Or not so much?

Either way I'll just be out collecting red and pink washi tape, and heart-shaped sprinkles.

XO,

Alexandra

Vday & Anniversary Getaway // Saint Louis // February 2014

Before you read: KS folks have you entered the fabulous B. Michelle Bake Shop Giveaway yet??!?! It's almost over, so get your entries in! 

This post is super long... but jam packed with AMAZING pictures, Saint Louis recommendations and a little art history for those interested. Scroll through and find what you're interested in!

We booked our favorite B&B and planned a fun day of activities to quench our travel thirst as well as relax a bit and spend some time without responsibilities to celebrate not just Valentine's Day... but our Anniversary too! Kudos to you if you noticed a lack of posting  back around New Year's...

We got married on New Year's Eve 2011 and didn't really have a good time to celebrate this year, so we made it a package trip and it was very fun! 

We got to relax and spend lots of one on one time together as well as see some of the sites and eat some yummy food :)

We got to Saint Louis fairly late Friday night & checked into our B&B, Elves Manor. You can see our details of our other trip there, here. I can't believe it's been 3 years! As usual Karen, the Inn Keeper spoiled us with lovely snacks, breakfast and drinks! We felt so special to have a mini sparkling beverage in the fridge! Thank you Karen! :) Here's an old picture of the exterior. We didn't remember to take one this time! So cute right?

The next morning we got up and I made KC a special French Toast breakfast! The story behind the french toast is simply that I don't usually care for it, but this recipe is the best thing I've ever eaten... So I try to make it one or two times a year for special occasions. Kyle went out to get Starbucks (addicted) while I baked the french toast. This time I added Nutella to the middle... because he loves it... and it seemed like it would go well with the raspberry that I usually do. He was a fan. We enjoyed our breakfast together before heading out the The Fox Theatre for a tour!

We also visited the Fox Theatre on our last visit to Elves Manor again you can view that post, here. The Fox is this amazing theatre built in the 1920's. It was the brainchild of William Fox (like 20th century Fox...) and it remains one of the largest theatres with it's original organ in it's original working order. It's so amazing. 

Anyhow, it was the place where we saw Celtic Woman for the first time and it was the perfect location for it! The theatre was so beautiful that we had to go back for a tour! 

So we paid our $7 apiece and joined a group for a tour of the interior; including the theatre, stage, back stage and downstairs as well as the fancy schmancy 'Fox Club'. 

The gorgeous exterior. 

We walked all through the basement and backstage up onto the stage. The whole way the walls are covered in murals and signatures of broadway actors, musicians, and other famous acts that have preformed at the Fox. It is one of the only if not the only place where this happens! It was so fun to see. The earliest ones are from the early '90's when the Fox opened again and there is an incredible range of art and style. It was so fun to search the walls for names and shows we were familiar with!

One of the most detailed and craziest... One of the three dream girls. 

Then we found Celtic Woman. Though they don't have a mural I was able to read things that six of the past and present ladies wrote! It was very cool.

The outside is impressive and the signatures are so fun to see... But my favorite piece was touring the interior, learning the stories of the building and marveling at the sheer awesomeness of the design & ornateness inside.

This chandelier is 12 ft in diameter! Mind boggling!

After the tour of the Fox we went over to the Saint Louis Art Museum, a brand new location for us! :) Outside after a long slippery side walk trekk we made it to this breathtaking statue of Saint Louis himself. It is so massive and impressive! I swear I have two pictures from every angle! 

It's just amazingly gorgeous.. and the park down the hill is so spacious! I would love to go back in the spring or summer and see all of the green trees and flowers!

Such a gorgeous museum... inside & out. Though I don't understand their fascination with Max Beckmann... it's not my thing. And there is a lot of it! But if you're a fan this is the place to go! You'll soon find out that I was originally an Art History major. :)

Another Monet water lily! (KC has one too!) The violet ones are always my favorite though, so it was so breathtaking to see this one in person!

I had never heard of Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida before this trip, but I am mesmerized by his use of movement in this piece 'Under the Awning, Zarauz'. It makes me want to visit the European coasts... who wouldn't right? This painting reminds me of Downton Abbey (on a beach). I purchased a greeting card print in the gift shop before we left! 

I got to see my first Degas sculpture at this museum! This piece is a phenomenal sculpture called 'Little Dancer of Fourteen Years'.  I absolutely love it, the mixed media makes it look so life-like. I didn't even know that he did sculpture! There was a figurine in the gift shop that I considered buying but it was chipped. I really wanted a glitter globe with a replica in it, but it was $50. Sadly, a little too much for this particular occasion. 

I am such a big fan of classical sculpture. Even the pieces that are missing limbs and features. There is something so beautiful about the life like shapes and the draping and movement of their garments. It's such a wonderful opportunity to see things that are so old, yet so intact (considering). I loved all of these sculptures but this was one of my favorite because of the movement of Artemis's garment.

Then we visited the new east building, which is filled with modern & contemporary pieces, again much like the addition to the Nelson in KC. I loved some of it, but all-in-all these pieces are never my favorite. I do enjoy the size of the pieces and more abstract ones however, like this set pictured above.

I thought this statue was neat, and couldn't pass up the chance to take this picture. KC is such a good sport!

My first Lichtenstein! Again, who knew he did anything but paint! I really really love this sculpture! The black and white is so eye-catching!

We decided to grab lunch at the cafe (not the swanky looking restaurant) but it ended up being really wonderful, and quite special! I got this amazing spinach salad with grilled southwestern chicken on it. It also had tomatoes, black beans, red onions, cilantro sour cream and a sort of southwest honey mustard dressing with kick to it! So delicious! Kyle got the special which was lamb with a tzatziki sauce, marinated Mediterranean veggies and cucumber tomato salad... which I ate quite a bit of :) and a roll. We shared a Fitz's black cherry soda, which is a Saint Louis specialty. It was pretty good, but I let Kyle drink most of it, because it's not really my favorite type of soda. :) It was an awesome and affordable lunch!

We got dinner that night with KC's friend who moved out there recently, his girlfriend and roommate. We went to a place he suggested called Russel's on Macklind. It is a really homey farm-to-table cafe with AMAZING desserts! The lighting was so lovely and low that none of my pictures turned out very well. But if you are going to Saint Louis eat there! It's so so fantastic! For dinner I had roasted chicken in garlic mashed potatoes with roasted brussell sprouts, which was perfect. For dessert (to-go) I got this unbelievable (& huge!) slice of dark chocolate cake, it had homemade whipped cream in between the three layers and a fresh strawberry frosting topped with a chocolate layer. UM yeah it was .... incredible! 

Once again, we were having such a great time we forgot to take pictures of ourselves... so here you have a 'we're leaving Saint Louis and grabbing coffee on the road' picture. Nice huh? We got these amazing croissants at Kayak Coffee along with a smoothie and juice.. so really we didn't get coffee that time. My croissant was stuffed with cheeses, spinach and roasted tomatoes. Kyle's was chocolate of course. So tasty! 

If you made it to the bottom, congratulations! :) 

We had such a nice time. I love how a weekend trip can really refresh you and quench some of that travel thirst! 

Have you ever been to Saint Louis?

What were your favorites?

What is your favorite art museum??

Recommendations always always welcome! 

Thank You for Reading & Happy Travels! 

Alexandra

Stay tuned for details on our next trip! I'm psyched!