Shades of Bakery Square

Something a little bright to start the week off right! Inspired by the color and vibrancy of Bakery Square, a small but growing mecca, I decided to try mixing up red and orange with a dash of pink. Oh, and tried to throw a makeshift peplum in there too...let's call this Spring trend bonanza! This kind of color blocking is so cheerful and it was one of those "why didn't I put this together before?!" sort of moments. I'm on a mission of finding unique combinations like this with all my current pieces.

Top - vintage silk, Dress & Shoes - Target

This dress was one of those last year fall purchases, knowing this would be a go-to color come spring/summer. Or the buzz around Panatone’s 2012 Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango. It works on my skin tone in a weird way, and this dress is a comfy, forgiving cotton fabric. Paying $8 and already finding two different ways to wear it, that's closet savvy my friends. Throw on a boxy 80's silk shirt, which feels so good in the breeze, and start belting over your shirts for a little more definition. But, as soon as you come home and after dinner, lose the belt. A gal can only take so much.

Bakery Square is gorgeous, both during the day and at night (all the buildings have amazing lights!). It has a  Free People store and a Anthropologie store, as well as Jimmy Johns and a gym and a delicious coffee shop. Best of all? Its not far from my home here in Pittsburgh! They play music over mysterious speakers as you mosey around and host several fun events throughout the year. Last Christmas, my boyfriend and I went to an entire local hand-made gift market! And apparently, this brick building above used to be an old Nabisco factory! Kind of like Chelsea Market in NYC :)

With this being our last full summer in Pittsburgh, I'm making sure we make the most of it! Trips to amusement parks, PyroFest, many museums, sporting events, a ducky tour, a weekend in Washington D.C., concerts, a visit to Niagara Falls, trying more Pittsburgh fare...the must-do list keeps getting longer and longer! I am enjoying this city a lot, but suddenly I'm itching to start looking ahead, exploring my options, see what else is out there. And I know there is so much to find.

Where are some places you hope to live someday? For maybe a couple years? Start a family? Retire to?

Sugar in Schenley Park

Mark my words, Saturdays in the park are going to be a summer staple this year. And I know just the park! After wandering the catacombs of Carnegie Mellon's campus, you can find yourself in Scheneley Park, which boosts a big, spacious hill that (apparently) is a hit during the winter months. However, in the summer it resembles the Great Lawn in Central Park, people scattered around on blankets, sun bathing in bikini's, or playing Frisbee with or without their dogs. This past weekend, before we spent over 5 hours in the library, we watched everyone enjoying a perfectly sunny and mild day. If only we were there to have a picnic instead...

 

Let's Rendezvous Dress by Sugarlips, Loafers - Fancy Fine, Hat - Target

This dress was sent to me from Sugarlips, and they have an awesome blogger program. So many of their products have been styled up from bloggers around the world, and I am honored to be part of them! I chose this dress because I thought it looked season-less (I mean, isn't it screaming for burnt orange tights?) and it could be worn anywhere. And, I own nothing like it. I love the lace detail on the sleeves, so dainty and unexpected. I also think it is a perfect length, while cinching at the natural waist. I'm hoping to wear it to the next rendezvous in the park.

This weekend my boyfriend is going to visit NYC while he visits his family. So I hope to start to open up my own shop of my closet since I'll have some downtime! Also, I can officially announce that I will begin my internship with Strike Envy this weekend! I found myself having some free time while Jason was always studying for grad school, so I went to InternMatch.com, typed in 'Fashion' and this amazing internship popped up! I am so excited, I will be working with two other girls for the company's marketing department. And let me tell you, Strike Envy has a lot of amazing things in the works....and I can't wait to tell you all about it! 

What are some of your favorite park activities? Besides taking outfit photos, of course :) Also, if you are in the Pittsburgh area, you can read more about Schenley Park here. Let's make sure to take advantage of the beauty and peacefulness of our local parks!

Gold Lion

It sure feels like summer in the spring time. And boo, I am not too excited about it. I smell like a kid whose been sweating outside playing during recess when I get to work, and when I come home, all I want to do is hop in my pjs and sit in front of a fan. And I realize I need to invest in more flowy skirts, and I know just where to look...


  Top - Vera Wang for Kohl's thrifted, Skirt - via SmashionBelt - secondhand, Sandals - Blowfish
 
I am thinking of opening up my own closet to Smashion, and sell some of my unused clothes. The joy for me would be seeing them on other people and all styled up, which means I would sell it all super cheap-cheap. I bought this skirt from a gal and I believe it is made in Asia. I love it so much and it's made of the coolest (both physically cool and publically accepted as cool) material and it is the perfect length. Perfect for twirling!

Also, here is the blog debut of my bangs! I've had them for a couple weeks now and it's been a fizzy challenge getting adjusted (especially in the new-found heat) but overall, I love them. I was going for a Marianne Faithfull look, and my friend/hair artist gave me exactly what I wanted! But oh I want to trim them soon. How often do you bang-girls trim your own bangs? And don't say "whenever they need it" - I mean do you find yourself trimming them usually once every two weeks? Four weeks? Trial and error I suppose. 

I had to return home to Indianapolis recently because of a death my family. It is a very tragic event, but as I get older, I feel like these situations (unfortunately) will begin to happen more often, and I need to learn how to deal with them. I am so blessed with a tight knit family, and the day I left to return to Pittsburgh, I'll never forget how much I laughed and smiled with my parents and my sister who I hadn't seen in 9 months. Its moments like those that mean the most, and that I'll always hold on to! And I want more of those moments!!
By the way, these shoes are hella high and you will get "holy shoes" a lot when you wear them...but they are awesome! They are last season and I found them via 6pm.com :)

Adobo Chicken

With late night classes and after being stuck in rush hour traffic, dinner time seems to come later and later each day. And when my blood sugar is low, I am a cranky pain in the ass. So since I have a love for cooking at home, but hardly ever want to put in the effort to cook on weeknights, I always am on the search for effortless recipes. And friends, this is one of them. You most likely already have all the ingredients, and it doesn't take more than 20-25 minutes. Adobo chicken, which is a staple in the Philippines, and about to be a weekly staple for myself. Sticky, salty, flavorful, and oh so simple.

That sticky sauce on the spoon is what you're looking for! And it may be a bit tricky to get to that consistency (okay, just get off the couch and watch it every now and then) and man, I wish I would've used bigger and more chicken. But the tenders were awesome.



Recipe from Cook this Not that! 350 Calorie Meals

1/4 Cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Rice Wine Vinegar (I used champagne/white wine vinegar)
2 Bay Leaves
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed
Half pound skinless chicken breasts or tenders, or even thighs
Fresh ground black pepper
Serves 2





Just throw everything in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer, over medium-low heat. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender. Easy, right?



Remove the chicken from the sauce pan and bring the mixture to an 'intense' boil. Continue to boil for 8-10 minutes until the liquid reduces and is thick enough to stick to a spoon.

*Not very pretty, but super tasty!
Add the chicken back to the sauce, get it all over. Discard the bay leaves. If you want a crispy outside, and have the patience still in you, put it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Serve with some brown rice, microwave or try this amazing baked brown rice recipe, and make a lot so you can make chicken fried rice later in the week!

This dish is a little salty, even with the lower sodium soy sauce. Maybe it was because I didn't use rice vinegar? I need to have some on hand since I am trying more ethnic dishes these days. What are some of your go-to week night meals?

Midwest Getaway

This past weekend I traveled back home to Indianapolis to visit my family and take care of the eye doctor, the dentist, and get a haircut. It was a gorgeous, 6 hour drive from Pittsburgh, straight through Ohio. On Friday, I went out to lunch with my mom and sister in adorable Zionsville. We snapped these pictures real quick before I went to my dentist cleaning. Why oh why I thought chicken salad for lunch was a good choice is beyond me...




Sweater - Daytrip via Buckle, Tank - vince. hand me downJeans - Target, Boots - Me Too


Appointments went well, played  three rounds of Kozmic Bowling with my sister and her husband whiling drinking too much whiskey but bowled a pretty decent game, went and saw Titanic in IMAX 3D (on April 14th, apparently 100 years after according to the movie!), ate some amazing food, and found out some exciting news! I will have to share soon :) oh - and I also got bangs! I can't wait to take pictures with my new 'do...I'm happy I did it cause my long locks needed a change! Even here they were bothering me:

My favorite thing about Spring is the warm, knit layers. Even today it was too hot and I was wishing for cooler temps. It was 80 degrees during my drive yesterday, and Midwest radio stations play some awesome music. The scenery is gorgeous, and it was nice to get away just for a couple days and accomplish so much. And, I'll admit I get homesick and miss my family, so its nice to not be too too far away. This week is CMU's Spring Carnival and my boyfriend's birthday on Thursday! Can't wait to spoil him all weekend with all the surprises I have....and tonight he told me he hates surprises. Mwhahaha...

 

Honey, Honey

As soon as I put myself on a shopping ban, it was bound to happen. So many wonderful opportunities (read: sales) have come in my direction. I may or may not have caved in, but when the words free shipping and 25% off are involved, how can one resist? I also decided that I was going to cut back on sugar, and I did well... for most of the day. Not adding it to coffee, resisting the delicious candies at work, but after dinner I just had to have half of a Reese's Easter Egg. Its obvious I have horrible self-control when it comes to silly limits.


Dress - Target, Shirt - thrifted, Necklace - Forever 21
Shoes - Isaac Mizrahi (at ...Target)
 
And obviously, I love Target. Even worse when I spy good deals at Target. I just found this on Pinterest, and you have no idea how badly I wanted to go today. Mainly I wanted to see if that was true! I've also linked up my Pinterest page on the blog (to your right, by my BlogLovin' button) and I hate to toot my own horn but, I have some awesome boards over on that there Pinterest. And you can also follow me via Instagram; username 'amberlysara.' As if you couldn't get enough of me...crazy how connect we all are.

I found this HONEY necklace at Forever 21 for only $1.50. I can recall listening to my sister call everyone 'Hon' or 'Honey' when I was younger and everyone saying how charismatic she is, and I picked up on the habit. The worst is when I say, "Yeah, of course, hon" to someone in authority over me. I've gotten some backtalk for that in the past, but I can't help it! I seriously cannot control it and I don't mean it in a derogatory sense at all. I just find some people so adorable and charming, they are a Honey. 

See all these sweet things slowly trying to ruin my life but I'm attempting to control them? Actual sugar, saying Honey, and the sweet success of sales? Ugh. If only I was more negative and not as much fun.

Don't hate the player, hate the game.
Honey.