Date Night with Leopard Print

Happy Friday!

Here's to weekend date nights!

button down top // boyfriend denim (light or dark wash) // crystal earrings // leopard pumps // crystal necklace

I love these fun pumps. I have a pair of leopard flats (similar to these, without the tassels & these), but these pumps make me want to throw more animal print into my life.

Have a great weekend!

Linked with Style Elixir and The Good Life Blog

Midweek Musings

I finished this book last week. It was a great book and was bummed when I finished it. On to the next... any suggestions?

Found this fun link to find out your cheese horoscope. I got blue.

Last week, while my husband was away on business in San Francisco, I streamed the first 3 episodes of The Bachelor. Not quite hooked on this season yet.

Here is a list of 25 New Years Resolutions for 2014 that are actually worth making.

Happy Wednesday to you!

Pretty Inspiration

My weekend wasn't nearly as pretty and glamorous as this image, but I am loving this color palette and inspiration for Monday morning.

• On Friday, we went to see American Hustle.
It was good. But, am I the first to say Jennifer Lawrence's role may not have been suitable for her? Eek! On a nicer note, I thought Amy Adams and Christian Bale were amazing!

• I hope my kitchen cabinets look like this one day!

• After going home over Christmas, I started using coconut oil in a whole new way!
Dublin is always humid, so the climate change made my lips beyond chapped. Here's a list of other great uses for it.

Have a great week! Xo

Image Credit
Linked with Join the Gossip
 

Five Winter Favorites

one // two // three // four // five

Christmas was good to me this year. I received this top, these fabulous rain booties and a new perfume! I have been wearing each of these so often I thought I would share some of my winter favorites.

On another note, it's Friday... and it's a good one.

The bird comes back from his business trip in San Francisco today! Yay! Looking forward to surprising him at the airport and mellow weekend together.

Linked with Style Elixir and The Good Life Blog

Quick Trip to London

Last Friday, the bird and I hopped over to London for a quick weekend trip.

It was so easy from Dublin that I was surprised we hadn't done it before. The flight was only about 45 minutes!

 

We didn't do a lot of the 'normal' London site seeing this trip since we plan to come back with my brother when he visits in March. But our hotel was right next to Big Ben and the London Eye, so I managed to snap a couple pictures.

We walked a lot, stumbling upon lots of great neighborhoods, streets and shops.

The main reason for our trip was to see The Book of Mormon. I had been dying to see it... and was definitely not disappointed.

It was so good; absolutely hilarious! I highly recommend it!

We stayed at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and I would definitely recommend this hotel too. The rooms were very nice and so spacious. It's also in a great location for walking or taking the Tube.

If you are headed to London, check out this fun post about the Loveliest Places for a Date in London!

Weekend in London (snippet)

The bird surprised me with a trip to London this past weekend.

I knew we had something planned... but I didn't know what or where. I am usually the one to plan out our trips, so it was such a nice surprise!

My brother comes to visit us in Dublin in March and we are planning on taking him to London then too. So this weekend was just a mellow weekend away. Less about site seeing and more about having a fabulous weekend getaway... and seeing The Book of Mormon. So good! More pictures to follow this week.

Today I will end with this lovely piece via. Have a Happy Monday!

Linked with Join the Gossip
 

Outfit Inspiration for Gray Days

Happy Friday!

We've had a few gloomy days in Dublin which inspired this gray days outfit full of layers.

black denim // cozy sweater // pendant necklace // infinity scarf // jersey tank // suede booties // sunglasses

I love the monochrome gray look and that Rebecca Taylor tank looks so comfortable and is on major sale!

The bird and I are off to London today for a weekend rendezvous! So excited to see The Book of Mormon. If you have any recommendations for our short weekend trip, let me know!

Linked with Long Distance Loving and Style Elixir

Recipe: Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

This week I was inspired to try out a new recipe.

We made a shredded brussels sprout salad with homemade dressing a lots of yummy toppings.

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

Serves about 4
20-25 Brussels Sprouts
1 handful Spinach
1/2 Crispy apple
1/2 Avocado
1/4 cup Thinly sliced onions
8-10 Sun-dried Tomatoes chopped
1/3 cup Pecorino or Parmigiano cheese, grated or sliced
20 Roasted & chopped Pecans or Walnuts

Homemade French Dressing
10 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 T Dijon Mustard
4 T Apple Cider Vinegar
3 Cloves Garlic, minced (roasted or raw)
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Water (for consistency and taste)

1. Shred brussels spouts with a food processor, mandoline or chop with a knife.
Optional: blend in additional lettuce, such as chopped kale or spinach
2. Roast nuts over heat for less than 10 minutes, or until brown & crispy.
3. Chop veggies and cheese
4. Dress, toss & serve... and Enjoy!

Weekend Recap

This weekend the bird and I went on the most beautiful hike along the coast of Howth.

It only takes about 30 minutes to get there on a train from Dublin. There are 4 different trails... so we'll definitely be back!

The views were incredible and the weather on Saturday was perfect, chilly but sunny!

The bird also surprised me with news of a trip we are taking this weekend:

We are headed to London on Friday for a couple nights and get to see The Book of Mormon!

I have been dying to see this show... so excited! And looking forward to our first weekend getaway of 2014!

Linked with Join the Gossip

Winter Wear

I hope your 2014 is off to a fabulous start! I am still finding my groove being back in Dublin and working on my goal of making 2014 my healthiest and most motivated year yet!

It is not the winter that I hear some of you experiencing, but Dublin has been chilly and very windy!

So, here's to embracing the (mildly) cooler weather with some chic winter wear inspiration.

Knit hat // Jersey long sleeve // Striped scarf // Distressed denim // Quilted vest // Suede bootie

I received one of these Alexander Wang jersey tops for Christmas and love it! It's the perfect go-to long sleeve.

Last weekend the bird and I were sick and our days consisted of couch camp outs, fires and movie marathons. I am definitely looking forward to being more active and productive this weekend!

Linked with Long Distance Loving

Golden accessories

I don't always get inspired walking into Z Gallerie. It is a little too glammed up for me.

But every time I browse their site, I find so many pretty home decor accessories I want! Here are my favorites in gold.

one | two | three | four | five | six | seven

I love that tray and those antlers would make such a fun jewelry stand!

Which one is your favorite?

Home for Christmas

We had the most amazing visit home. One that definitely made us miss home even more once we got back to Dublin.

You can see my first home recap here, which included a trip to Boise to surprise my best friend, a bowties & babes themed dinner party and a Cirque du Solei show in San Francisco!

The next week was a whirlwind of my brother's birthday, another best friend's birthday and lots of Christmas celebrations!

After Christmas, the bird and I headed south to Orange County. We spent the last three days of our trip with friends... including New Years Eve!

Home is definitely my happy place!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Years celebration as well!

Linked with Join the Gossip

Recap of 2013: part 2

And we're back in Dublin. So bittersweet.

Its good to be getting back into our routine, sleepily unpacking our suitcases and restocking our fridge. But we miss our family and friends already!

Today, I'm bringing you the second recap of our fabulous year of 2013, starting with Italy!

June/July: Rome, Florance, Cinque Terre, Milan, Italy

August: Belfast, Ireland

September: Cologne, Germany

October: South of France

November: Copenhagen, Denmark

  You can find the first half of my 2013 recap here.

It has been an amazing year and I have loved being able to document it all on my blog. Thank you for your support and love along the way. I love the readers and followers I have! Xo

Happy New Year! Here's to 2014!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to have the second 2013 recap up today. Whoops! I am working on it for Friday.

In the meantime, the bird and I are headed back to Dublin today. It's been such an amazing visit home, which makes it very hard to leave!

Image via