Knots

A little double-knot action for this look: half-up top knot + tied t-shirt. This leather pencil skirt is one of my all-time fave pieces in my closet. It's equal parts chic & sexy, and looks just as great with a ruffled blouse for an interview as it does with an everyday v-neck & statement shoe. I scored these grey suede pointy-toe mules last fall and I love the ladylike touch they add to any outfit.

Striped V-Neck Tee - Zara

Leather Pencil Skirt - Zara

Grey Mules - Nordstrom Rack

Red Leather Satchel - Tory Burch (last seen)

Gold Initial Necklace - Etsy

Gold Watch - Michael Kors

Lipstick - Revlon "berry haute"

{DIY} Autumn Wreath

It's officially autumn now that we have a wreath on the front door! What I love about wreaths is how unique and personal you can make them. I picked up a few essentials at Michael's (natural wreath, fall florals, gold-dipped pinecones, wire & burlap garland) for about $25. I had the house to myself last Friday night, and in true grandma-fashion, I cooked myself an avocado grilled cheese sandwich, watched "Almost Famous" and got crafty! I had so much fun creating this wreath (which only took about 15 minutes!) and I love the way it turned out, with a mix of textures, colors and autumnal elements.

Pumpkin Rolls

Who doesn't love pumpkin spice & cream cheese frosting?! I grew up eating these pumpkin rolls every fall, which are my mom's claim to fame. They are a crowd-pleasing favorite that can be eaten pretty much any time of day if you ask me, whether it's with your morning cup of coffee or for a little something sweet after dinner. 

Pumpkin Roll Ingredients

1 can pumpkin

4 teaspoons pumpkin spice

6 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

16 ounces cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 tablespoons (1 stick) softened butter

Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In an electric mixer, cream together eggs and sugar. Fold in pumpkin. In a separate bowl,  combine flour, baking soda and pumpkin spice. Add to pumpkin mixture, and mix gently. Add lemon juice and combine.

Pour batter into 2 well greased baking sheets, making sure to evenly spread throughout (even the corners!) Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

While the pumpkin roll is baking, lay out 2 pillow cases sprinkled generously with sugar. When roll is done baking, remove from pan and immediately flip onto pillowcase. Roll tightly and allow it to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the cream cheese frosting by beating all ingredients together until smooth.

When rolls are cool, unroll from pillow case and cover evenly with cream cheese frosting. Roll again and wrap with plastic wrap to chill/store in refrigerator. Serve chilled or room temperature.



Navy & Bordeaux

 

More than halfway through my favorite month and autumn weather is finally starting to make its way to Florida, with temps dropping just a little bit. For this look, I opted for one of my favorite fall color combos: navy and bordeaux. They compliment each other in an unconventional way, striking that balance of sophisticated & preppy. I've had these brown suede ankle booties for a couple years so they're perfectly worn in, and I love the unexpected pop of cobalt blue along the back zipper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bordeaux Top - Zara (similar here and here)

Navy Skinny Jeans - BCBGeneration

Cognac Braided Leather Hobo Bag - Zara (last seen here)

Brown Suede Ankle Booties - Dolce Vita (similar)

Aviator Sunglasses - Ray-Ban



Baked Cinnamon Apple Roses

{Baked Cinnamon Apple Roses}

I came across the recipe for these beautiful baked apple roses this past weekend, and thankfully my mom's kitchen is always fully stocked, so she happened to have all the ingredients to whip these up together on Saturday afternoon. They tasted so delicious with the ideal mix of slightly sweet cinnamon-sprinkled apples and a buttery, flaky puff pastry. The roses were pretty easy to make and would be the perfect dessert (or brunch bite!) for the upcoming holidays.

ingredients

4 apples, cored and halved (leave the skin on)

juice from 1/2 of a lemon

3 Tbsp fruit preserves (we used peach)

2 Tbsp water (plus more for the apples to soak in)

1 sheet of puff pastry

cinnamon to sprinkle per preferred taste

directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut apples in thin slivers and place in a microwave safe bowl. Fill bowl with enough water to cover the apples and add lemon juice. Microwave for 3 minutes until the apple slices become soft, which will make them easier to roll.

Next, roll out the puff pastry on a floured cutting board, and cut into 6 strips about 3 inches wide.

In a bowl mix your favorite fruit preserves with a couple tablespoons of water, then spoon the preserves in the center of each puff pastry strip.

Next, place the apple slices long ways halfway on the strip, slightly overlap the slices until you reach the end. Then, fold the puff pastry over the bottom of the apple slices. Roll up the puff pastry and place in a greased muffin tin.

Bake the apple roses for 35-45 minutes. Let them cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Enjoy!

Village

As most of you know, I recently moved back to Florida. Greg and I are still looking for a place while I find a job, but it's been so nice staying with my parents and spending more time with our families. We went to Cocoa Village at sunrise to shoot this post and it was a beautiful foggy morning on the river. I had curled my hair, but thanks to the humidity, it fell flat in about 5 minutes (did not miss that!) Pairing this off-the-shoulder dress with ankle booties let's me pretend it's fall despite the 85+ degree weather we're experiencing - can't wait for crisp autumn air to arrive! 

 

Off-The-Shoulder Printed Dress - Zara

Black Fringe Bag - Zara (last worn here)

Black Leather Belt - Target

Black Ankle Booties - Urban Outfitters

Lipstick - Revlon "siren"



Custom iPhone Case

{essentials including my custom iPhone case c/o CaseApp}

I teamed up with CaseApp to design a custom iPhone case and the results are nothing short of amazing! Their website is so easy to use - simply upload any picture & adjust it to fit the case and voilà! The shipping was super fast (1-3 days!) and the finished product came out exactly how I imagined! I chose a jellyfish chandelier for mine but anything from a photo of your cat to a beach scene would look great! With the holidays right around the corner, a custom iPhone case would be the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for that person on your list that is always hard to shop for!

I'm so excited to offer my readers 20% off your very own custom iPhone case!

Use the discount code "SQUARED20" at checkout (valid until 10.21.15)

Thank you to CaseApp for sponsoring this post. All thoughts & opinions are my own. 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Lemon Garlic Aioli

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Sea Salt & Basil

Ingredients

 3 large sweet potatoes

basil leaves

olive oil

sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into wedges.

Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt & chopped basil.

Bake for about 30-45 minutes or until lightly golden brown, turning once half way through.

 Lemon Garlic Aioli

Ingredients

mayonnaise (or light mayo)

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon

garlic salt

sea salt

black pepper

basil leaves

*note: I don't measure the ingredients, simply add to preferred taste

Directions

Mix together a few spoonfuls of mayo with minced garlic and seasonings.

Drizzle in some olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice into mixture. Add in basil and stir together. 

Chill in refrigerator until sweet potatoes are done baking.

Enjoy!

Ode to Denim

Denim is easily my favorite fabric - it's endlessly versatile and eternally cool. I don't discriminate when it comes to denim. My collection is full of every wash from light to dark, black, white, and grey, ripped, skinny, flare, boyfriend and everything in between. Below is a roundup of some of my favorite outfit posts featuring denim.

{black skinnies}

{chambray shirt}

{dark high-waisted}

{chambray dress}

{denim jacket}

{denim on denim}

{white-washed boyfriend jeans}

{flares}