Inspired by Kate

Hey lovebugs!
Happy Monday! How was your weekend? It was a scorcher here in DC. Lots of sundresses and sandals. 

Today I wanted to talk about a recent love of mine and I guess Kate Spade has fallen in love with it too.  Gold!  Normally gold is seen in jewelry, but today let's look at some fabulous gold clothing pieces.

Modcloth, Smoke on the Water, $65

Doesn't this dress remind you of a sock hop number from Grease? I just love it!

Lulu's, Cute gold skirt, $47

I really love the floating effect of this skirt.  It's ready for a spin!

Toms, Gilded herringbone shoe, $54

I'm still warming up to Tom's shoes, but these are so much fun for a weekend of running around.

Neiman Marcus, Berek Outer Beauty Blouse, $50

The bell sleeves here are gorgeous.  Perfect to dress up or down.

I really love the elegance of the metallic in gold.  It matches everything and it's so shimmery and gorgeous for summer.

Be fabulous today!

Friday Foodday

Hey lovebugs! Happy Friday to you. Any plans for this weekend? I'm dogsitting so I will be getting my extra walks in around DC in this heat!


Here are some of my fave recipes this week.


Cauliflower Fritters
c/o Skinny Taste

Ingredients

• 4 cups steamed cauliflower (roughly chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
• 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup hot water
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, flour, garlic, eggs, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Add water so that batter becomes slightly more dense than pancake batter.

On medium-low heat, add 1 tbsp of oil in a 10 inch skillet coating bottom of the pan.Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to form fritters. You can fit 4 fritters at a time. Cook until golden brown, turn and cook another few minutes. Add a little more oil to the pan, and repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 24 fritters. 


Tomato Artichoke Ravioli
c/o Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients
1 package ravioli
1 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic
1 cup chicken broth
Salt
Pepper
Onion powder
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
10 frozen artichoke hearts, diced small
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, additional for serving


Directions
1- In a small saucepan melt the butter. Add the garlic, stirring until fragrant. Meanwhile, in a seperate pot cook the ravioli according to packaging directions.
2- Add the chicken broth to the garlic and bring the heat up to high, allowing it to come to a boil. Season with salt/pepper/onion powder.
3- Add the chopped tomato and artichoke hearts, stirring regularly.
4- Once the ravioli are done, add the parmesan cheese and stir well.
5- Toss the ravioli and sauce together, serve with additional cheese if desired.


Orange Blackberry Muffins
c/o Kitchen Bellicious

Ingredients
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 pint blackberries, roughly chopped
zest and juice of 1 orange
2 TBSP honey


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tin molds or use paper muffins cups. The size of your muffin tin is up to you but this recipe makes 12 extra large muffins or 24 regular size muffins.

2. Whisk all the wet ingredients together. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and orange zest. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, slowly in batches, until the batter is thoroughly mixed. Add in the blackberries and pour the batter into the muffin molds.

3. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes. Once done, sprinkle the tops with the turbinado sugar and allow to cool before removing each muffin.

Purple and White!

It's the last day of color combos; what did you think? Do you have any fave color combinations that I missed?

Today is purple and white.  This pairing is so crisp and light for summer.

Rugby, Blythe silk ruffle top, $65

I love these ruffles, and I bet this silky fabric is perfect for summer.  I would pair it with this...

Nordstrom, Halogen pencil skirt, $59

I love the saturated color in this skirt.

Modcloth, Lovely Legend Dress, $48 (one left!!)

Somebody please buy this beautiful dress. And pair it with these...

Steve Madden, Gramicy, $42

I need these shoes.  Kitten heel, bow, purple, omg.

Lord & Taylor, Violet Beaded embroidered peasant blouse, $55

I love the sleeve and hem detail.  I would pair this with these shorts for a Saturday outside...

Old Navy, Diva clean front bermudas, $27

I really like the tab button waist on these, and the simple pockets are undistracting which is nice for bermudas.

What do you think about this color combination? Probably one of my favorites.  Tomorrow I'll be back for Friday Foodday! Let me know if you have any recipes to share.

Be fabulous today!

Guest Post: Travel Needs

Hey lovebugs! Taking a quick vacation (ha!) from color combo week for a fabulous guest post that I couldn't wait to put up! Check back tomorrow for the last of the color combos!

Hi everyone! I'm thrilled to be guest posting today on TCB! I've been a longtime reader of Kelsey's blog. I read her blog weekly for inspiration and styling tips. To start you off, when I travel my favorite thing is to be as comfortable as possible, but looking effortlessly chic. I got the inspiration for this travel wardrobe from fashion blogger, Liz of the fashion blog, Late Afternoon. Her look is what I envisioned for a summer trip with a few essentials of my own listed below. Read on!

Striped top - $97 - shopambience.com

A flattering shape with a nautical feel. Wear it again with skinny jeans and black high heels.

TopShop ankle length skirt - $70 - topshop.com

Wear this eye-catching long maxi skirt to stand out from the airport crowd!

Bold Fashioned Journal - $27 - modcloth.com

A journal to record your trip's precious memories.

Steve Madden gold glitter flat - $61 - gravitypope.com

Ms. Bri over at Design Love Fest inspired me to add these sparkly flats to the look. Check out how she wore them here.

Diane von Furstenberg travel bag - $120 - couture.zappos.com

This stylish case (yes...I know this goodie is over $100) expands allowing extra packing space for those last-minute must-have items or special travel souvenirs.

Aldo bag - $60 - aldoshoes.com

This messenger bag is perfect to carry your ipad, kindle, laptop and all your other gadgets in.

Passport wallet - $48 - lodis.com

A chic passport wallet keeps all your travel documents in one place - with space for your boarding pass, passport, ID and credit cards.

Nine West resin watch - $59 - ninewest.com

A standout bangle watch with soft gold tones.

Carolee pearl jewelry - $56 - houseoffraser.co.uk

This necklace and the watch above give feminine touches to this look.