What's New

Instagram is changing my life. That is an exaggeration, but I do think it is super cool.  I do not even have an iPhone, but I have been soaking up the app on my parent's iPad.  Here's what I have been up to:

The Terra Cotta, Lilly Pulitzer Inspired, Pot I painted for my mom for Mother's Day.

The lovely painting aftermath

Dixie, my ridiculously precious pooch

My favorite accessory - ASOS zigzag rings. I am obsessed.

New Brooks running shoes.  Shin splints be gone

A ridiculously good pineapple/coconut milk smoothie that deserves a post of its own.

 My summer read, that naturally, I have yet to start.

Adventures On...

The Red Carpet!

Alright, the red carpet may be a slight exaggeration.  When I say red, I mean the brick streets of Dormont, and when I say carpet, I mean the confetti style kind at the Hollywood Theater.  Embellishments aside, I did attend a movie premiere! My cousin, Christy, lives in LA and co-wrote and starred in an independent film called The Complex. They had a premiere in LA and decided to have a second one in Pittsburgh this past March! I was so excited for an opportunity to see my fam and to get all dressed up with GC. After much deliberation, as in 6 wardrobe changes (naturally), I decided on an LBD, the obvious choice. It was a fantastic night!

With my mom, before hand

With GC on the "Red Carpet"

I really love my...

Black Flower Studs

I purchased these gorgeous earrings at a Nordstroms Rack in Cleveland, OH, after a college visit.  I bought a few other things that day, but I was thrilled that these were marked down to $12.  When I got home, I was looking at the receipt and discovered that these incorrectly rang up at only  $0.99, that's right, 99 cents! I felt bad about it, but I could not do anything from Pittsburgh! I basically wear these anytime I'm trying to look classy, or if I am trying to dress up a not so special outfit such as jeans and a black v-neck. Works every time.

Relay Relay Relay

Virginia Tech Relay for Life was this past weekend and we raised over $550,000 for cancer research!!! So proud of my school for supporting a cause that is so close to my heart.

LOVE to CREATE

My version of fun on the weekends? Painting. This past weekend I tackled a Lilly print and a fun splatter job (which I hilariously executed in the suite shower).  I actually did not have any plans to paint this weekend, but when my friend, KH, dangled a trip to Michael's in front of me, I jumped on it! What started as simple browsing, lead to these two wooden words.  I just couldn't pass them up!

TO

Adventures In...

Graphic Design

I used to be intimidated by graphic design, well actually, I still kind of am.  I am proficient in Microsoft Publisher, but I am still struggling with the whole Adobe thing, which is kind of an issue.  I mean, I am seriously considering buying an "InDesign for Dummies" book, because I feel like I really need to know how to use it in order to become more advanced! It would also help if I had the program on my computer.  I do have photo shop, but that is another story, make that two "for Dummies" books that I need to buy.  Using Publisher has been great, though! Here are some of my most recent creations, two promotional posters for "9400 Stories" and an invitation for the Department of Housing and Residence Life.

Elizabeth Banks

I am literally in awe of Elizabeth Banks.  She is ROCKING the red carpets at various Hunger Games premieres.  She can do no wrong lately.  Is she becoming one of my newest style icons? With this string of good looks she is definitely becoming a contender.  I love all of these dresses so much that I am not even sure if I can pick a favorite.  If I HAD to pick, though, I would say that the magenta Marc Jacobs is my favorite.  I just can't wait to see what she wears next!

In Versace

image via Instyle

In Bill Blass

In Marc Jacobs

In Elie Saab

images via Coco Perez

Things I'm loving

1. Kate Spade's Tennis Collection

I am literally obsessed with these pieces.  Although somewhat impractical (a turf-covered bag?!), I adore the whimsy surrounding my favorite sport!

2. CHEVRON

Just a warning, this pattern will be the focus of my upcoming creative sessions.

3. British Boybands

Yep, I said it.   BUT it is not like I am jumping on the bandwagon.  GC let me in on these gems a while back. One Direction is everyone's new favorite band.  MSN.com even compared them to the Beatles.  Overkill? I think yes, but they're still great

 

Greek Dad's Make Great Italian Food

Although I can't take credit for making this pasta from scratch (with a pasta machine) I can certainly take credit for eating it. So ridiculously good, thanks Dad!

Choco Naners

I was on a baking roll over spring break.  GC and I decided to go (chocolate covered) bananas...

Blueberry Pie Pancakes!

My adventures in baking continue, these pancakes (which I found at  http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/06/09/blueberry-pie-pancakes/) were absolutely amazing. 

Oscar's Best

This best dressed list from the Oscar's is long overdue!


1. Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

2. Gwenyth Paltrow - Tom Ford

3.Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji







Adventures In...

Windows Movie Maker

I wanted to make a promotional video for the "9400 Stories" program that I am heading up through RHF, but I was clueless about Movie Maker. I didn't have any actual footage for the video, but I wanted to put some of the photos together.  The program was surprisingly easy to figure out and I think I have it down now! I am very pleased with how it turned out- it was worth all the time that went into picking the right song and making it in sync with the photos and transitions. Enjoy!

Sketching on a Saturday

I wanted a stress release, so I looked to my sketchbook.  I chose my dog, Dixie, as my subject because I just miss her so much! This is how it turned out...

Look Ma, I Can Bake!

Since Blacksburg is not the most exciting of towns, it takes some creativity to have fun on the weekends.  Last night I hung out with some great friends and we decided to make the Oreo cupcakes that I saw on Pinterest (http://www.instructables.com/id/Death-By-Oreo-Cupcakes/).  Well, the girls did the making and the guys did the eating, but hey, that is alright! We wanted something easy, with few ingredients, and these cupcakes were just that. We substituted apple sauce for the oil (partially because it is much healthier, mostly because we're in college and we do not have  oil on hand) and you could not tell at all! We also bought icing and then just added Oreo crumbs to it instead of making it from scratch.  Believe me when I tell you that these were dangerously good.

A whole Oreo on the bottom of each!

On a cute and appropriate journal, a valentine's gift from GC

Card Making

I wanted to share the lovely card that I made for Valentine's Day! I started with black and white stationary (Liberty of London for Target) and cut out a heart shape.  I inserted and secured the heart shape back into the card, but I flipped it, resulting in this...

Inside

Outside

so simple. so cute.

Look Ma, I Can Cook!

The last time I was home, I had the opportunity to do some Super Bowl party cooking! When I say party, I mean my fam plus GC, but hey, it was an excuse to exercise my cooking skills. Okay, it was more like an excuse to find my cooking skills, because quite honestly, I did not know if I had any kitchen abilities.  I decided to go big or go home with and took on a modified seven layer dip with, wait for it, homemade guacamole.  You know, from scratch, using a real avocado, crazy right? Yeah.  After googling how to use avocados, I went to work and I was shocked at the size and weight of the seed, incredible!

I scraped the avocado into a bowl, and added in the rest of the ingredients (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/guacamole-recipe/index.html).  I left out the onions and cilantro, but added even more tomatoes than it called for. I just love tomatoes.

After successfully making the guacamole, I created the Johns family (aka the lactose intolerance) version of the seven layer dip:

Layer 1: re fried beans - they definitely tasted better than they looked

Layer 2: mild, chunky salsa

Layer 3: the fresh guacamole

Layer 4: Black Olives

It was delicious, and I felt so accomplished!

TRUTH:

Look I'm Loving...

Emma Watson in Valentino

I still can't believe that I met Emma this summer while she was filming "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" in my hometown.  She is so unbelievably gracious and gorgeous and she is such a fantastic role model.  Wow, this past summer really was incredible. 

 

Emma at a Pre-Bafta party in the lovely Valentino