New Obsession: Alex & Ani Bangles

Seriously. I am in love.

I have a hard time with bangles because I swear I have hands the size of a giant. Not okay.

Enter in a lazy day shopping at Nordstrom and finding an Alex & Ani bangle in the Savvy area of the store. I love these.

I bought the H and now I want the E and a Virgo charm and any and every other one they offer.

Have you tried these bangles?!

Seriously, in love.

Colorado Shots

The beautiful Ranch

Wildflowers

The sight of the wedding in Keystone

Beautiful and delicious cake!

LOVE these flowers!!

Fall Details

This fall I'm all about the small details in my accessories...

Fun and funky bobby pins

Sparkly Headbands

More initial jewelry!
I can't rave enough about this AMAZING bangle that expands by Alex & Ani

Suede grommet belt by JCrew

Fun print wallet by Kate Spade

Leopard print cosmetic bag from Old Navy

What will you be accessorizing with this Fall?

Well look at you, Old Navy!!

WOW!
Did Old Navy hire a new designer? Their sweaters this Fall are adorable. And all under $42.50!

LOVE this one!

Umm and this one.

Military Chic

Stripes + Zippers = perfect combination.

I can picture being snuggled up in this.

Sparkles win.

I'm all about these new sweaters at Old Navy. Have you seen them yet?

Paint it Black

I've been wanting to do a chalkboard paint DIY for quite some time now. Since moving into the new place, I have a huge wall in my kitchen that was just screaming for a chalkboard.

And so my love affair with chalkboard paint began...

I went to Home Depot (or as we refer to it Home DéPo) for the chalkboard paint (around $12 for a can that has plenty of projects in it!) and then $6 for a piece of particle board.

Mix the chalkboard paint up well.
Paint.
Wait 4 hours (or overnight b/c you're lazy...)
Paint again.
Wait 3 days to condition (or 1 day b/c you're impatient and don't believe the directions on the paint)
Condition the chalkboard. THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT!!
You condition the chalkboard by rubbing a piece of chalk (along the length of the chalk) all over the board. Then you erase the chalk. If you don't do this then the 1st thing you write on that chalkboard will be there FOREVER. Chalkboard paint is porous and will absorb the chalk and never let you wipe it away.

Write away!

All materials can be purchased at Home DéPo!


Beer was absolutely necessary.

Conditioned Board. I HIGHLY recommend doing this outside as it is a very dusty process!

The finished product!
I secured it on the wall with the clips you would use to secure a mirror. (and a whopping $1.96)

I took this a step further and painted a small square on a swing top bottle (i love labeling things. hello OCD)



and then painted an empty frame's glass front for a presentable list for my bedroom.
Yes, I know I use exclamation points too much.

Have you ever done a chalkboard paint DIY?

Do any of you have facebook pages for your blog? If so, do tell!

Pursuit of LLT on Facebook

Banana Bread To Die For

Enough said.

I swear I only buy bananas so I can bake with them!
Example 1 and 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spray one 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick spray coating.
2. Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
3. Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in pecans. Mix well.
4. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.I like to set the timer for 1 hour and then reevaluate!
   

recent loves

long walks and lounging by the planetarium

brunch and bloodies from 11 city diner

manicure/pedicure with friends and delicious dinner at zapatista.

enjoyed with margaritas!

Also...I bought the Rebecca Minkoff MAC clutch in black. But I'm wondering...should I stick with the silver hardware or go to the gold?! Help!

Missoni Must Haves

Sure I just said in yesterday's post that I couldn't see Target anytime soon....believe you me that is not the case come September 13th!!

I am dying for some of these Missoni pieces!

Here are my favorite....what are yours?

Brighten up a dreary desk

Travel in Style

I love funky socks. Need these!

I have a scarf obsession. This needs to join my collection.

How cute are these?!

Organization that is cute and practical

all images via fashionista

Will you be going to the store? Ordering online? Or passing altogether?

new views

I'm moving to a different part of the city...down to the south loop.

the best part of the new locale?


the view.



wow.

the worst part? actually moving. booooring.

chain madness

As the fall catalogs are rolling out, a few trends are spot-on with me. A big one being the chain straps on cross-body bags.

I'm a huge fan and I think they're going to continue to be everywhere you look!

Nanette Lepore $425

Tory Burch $365

Rebecca Minkoff $295
My personal fave!

Elliott Lucca $98

And the Classic Chanel

Are you a fan of the chain straps on bags?

fall flats

It's 90 and humid but I'm craving fall weather. I think a huge trend for the fall is going to be menswear flats. I'm a huge fan of flats and they're a staple in my wardrobe.

I'd gladly sport any of these this fall.

School girl flats from JCrew

Quilted & Buckled from Cole Haan

Suede & Frills from Banana Republic

Suede Driving shoe from Cole Haan

and these aren't menswear but how cute are these? Go JCrew!

Are you a big fan of flats?

sorry I've been MIA lately! the summer has been incredibly busy and I've been a terrible blogger!