It's Right Around the Corner!

"What?" you ask.

SPRING!

The spring collections are out (well, a couple of them...) and I'm getting excited for sunny weather and painted toes. Are you?

Just thought I'd share with y'all just a few of my favorite spring pieces that I've seen so far.

From J. Crew:

Bevin Blouse

From Delia's:

Polka Dot Dress

Navy Floral Swim Suit

BC Limosine Flat

Yang Wedge

 From Target:

Makana Cutout Sliver Wedges-- White

And, what I'm most excited about. From The Preppy Princess, coming in April:

LILLY PULITZER CROAKIES

Hope you enjoyed dreaming of spring, even for just a moment.

Happy Friday!

xoxo,

Bee

Gnocchi Recipe

This November, Mom and I were watching the Food Network and Giada de Laurentiis (Everyday Italian) made gnocchi. This was right in the midst of my gnocchi obsession, so I got kind of excited. I've yet to make her "Gnocchi with Butter Thyme Sauce", but thought I'd share it with y'all anyway.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 (1-pound) russet potato
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large egg, beaten to blend
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup shaved Pecorino Romano

Directions

Cook the butter in a heavy medium skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the thyme leaves. Set aside.

Pierce the potato all over with a fork. Microwave the potato until tender, turning once, about 12 minutes. Cut the potato in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; discard the skin. Using a fork, mash the potato well. Mash in the salt and pepper. Mix in 3 tablespoons of the egg; discard the remaining egg. Sift the flour over the potato mixture and knead just until blended.

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your palms and the work surface into a 1/2-inch-diameter rope (about 20 inches long). Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece of dough over a wooden paddle with ridges or over the tines of a fork to form grooves in the dough.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until the gnocchi rise to the surface, about 1 minute. Continue cooking until the gnocchi are tender, about 4 minutes longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the hot thyme-butter in the skillet. Toss to coat.

Spoon the gnocchi and butter sauce into shallow bowls. Top with the Pecorino and serve. 

Have a great Thursday!

xoxo,
Bee

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Today, I'm linking up with Jamie for "What I'm Loving Wednesday"!

Here's what I'm loving this week:

My new Patagonia fleece pullover... Seriously, Jewels was right! It's like being wrapped in a permanent hug!

Photo courtesy: indeepknit.com

Sharpie pens! They're the BEST PENS EVER. 

Sara's Essentials

Sara, over at Pearls, Curls, and a Southern Girl (one of my favorite blogs) has started putting together lists of her essentials in different categories. So far she's done shoes, bags, winter-wear, travel-wear, and accessories, but I can't wait to see what she does next! I LOVE these because... well, I don't know. It's just such a cute idea and I think it's interesting to see what she can't live without (koozies, for one). Go over and check it out!

Lately, I've been loving my harness boots. Not ideal for this snowy weather we have, but I've been wearing them a lot nonetheless. The toes look so cute peeking out from my bootcut jeans, or with black leggings and a plaid shirtdress. Love love love.

Photo courtesy: thebluestmuse.blogspot.com

Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's... PERFECTION. Mom stocked up during the holiday season, so we still have some left over. These are the most delicious cookies you will ever eat, and they're made with all-natural ingredients. That means they have to be good for you, right? They also made Candy Cane Joe-Joe ice cream that was utterly divine. Be sure to look for both of these things next holiday season! It'll be here before you know it.

And lastly, gnocchi. Trader Joe's has incredible whole-wheat gnocchi that I'm sort of obsessed with. With their marinara sauce? Mmmm, good. But this gnocchi mac and cheese looks delectable, as well.

Photo courtesy: vanessabrunner.wordpress.com

What are you loving this Wednesday?

xoxo,

Bee

A PB Teen Story

So, I promised you a story. And that's what you'll get. Hold onto your hats, folks. This one might take awhile.

One day last fall, I was flipping through the PB Teen catalog and saw a picture that looked a little something like this:

I fell in love with the idea... but not the $405 price tag.

So, I got to thinking, and ultimately, I came up with, "I can do that." I enlisted the help of my handy father, and together, we set off on about a seven month journey.

The project was finally completed last May, and I was ecstatic. I am SO lucky to have two parents who support me and allow me free range when it comes to my walls and craft projects.

Here's the final product:

The top left and bottom right squares are dry-erase board, the top right and bottom left are corkboard (please note the entire square devoted to Philly pictures, bottom left), the top and bottom center are chalkboard, the right and left center are fabric-covered corkboard, and the middle is pegboard.

Looks familiar, does it not? I was so happy with the way it came out. It's such a nice thing to have over my desk, because I can look up at it when I'm doing my homework or whatever. Love love love.

Another thing I look at a lot when I'm doing my homework are the pictures underneath the plexiglass surface of my desk. I have all sorts of pictures of my friends and I, as well as postcards and quotes that I've collected over the years. You can kind of see them in the picture above, but here's a close-up:

You can also see my Mason jar full of Sharpies, too, which is another thing I love about my workspace. But my absolute favorite thing about my desk? The windowsill.

It holds my jar of colored pencils, my Elements of Style reference book, a Webster's dictionary, Spanish-English dictionary, a jar of popsicle sticks (story to come in a later post), jars of colorful paper clips, my purple pen collection, a black and white beach picture (I love those!) and an adorable card that I had framed. 

I like that it gives me another shelf to spread things out on, and it keeps the top of my desk from getting cluttered. 

Do you have a special workspace? What do you love about it?

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo,

Bee

PB Teen

I get really excited when magazines and catalogs come in the mail. Like, super excited. And Saturday when I got the mail, there were four waiting for me!! By far my favorite among the four (Seventeen, L.L. Bean, J. Crew and PB Teen) was Pottery Barn Teen. 

I've long been interested in interior design, though I'm not really artistic enough to consider pursuing it as a career. But I LOVE flipping through the PB Teen catalog and looking at all the different rooms.I love it so much, in fact, that I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with y'all.

I just love seeing how they arrange and organize things and I've borrowed many an idea from the talented designers who work for Pottery Barn. (More to come on that tomorrow...)

This catalog inspires me to organize and re-arrange and it's just so exciting. I'll leave you with three of my favorite close-ups of organizational storage (my favorite kind!)

Love love love. 

Do you have any magazines or catologs that brighten your day? Please share!

xoxo,

Bee

Cute Cold-Weather Accessories

Just a couple of really cute things that I found on my search for cold-weather gear yesterday. They were too adorable not to share!

Kate Spade Big Apple Owl Earmuffs

Topshop Camel Contrast Bow Beret

Rag & Bone Grayling Fair Isle Mittens

Kate Spade Taxi Mittens

Kate Spade Snowball Mittens

Can you tell I'm loving mittens at the moment? Kate Spade might possibly be a new obsession. Just possibly.

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend; I know I did! I was finally able, after four loooooong weeks, to walk around without my crutches, and I am euphoric. I can't express in words how much I absolute despise those things. Now it's on to bigger and better things.

Enjoy the end of your weekend!

xoxo,

Bee

P.S. Thanks to kathardingphotographyblog.com and bowsandsparrows.com for the Kate Spade mitten photos.

"When the weather outside is frighful..."

Well, folks, it's that time of year again. Whether you love it or hate, the bitter cold season is here to stay... At least for a little while.

In this weather, staying warm and dry is not optional... Well, I suppose technically it is, but who wants to be cold and wet? Anyway, here are some of my favorite things to bundle up in when it's really cold.

I'm a firm believer that every closet needs a peacoat for everyday wear. I have a gray one, but navy and black work just as well. You want some sort of neutral that will match most everything in your closet. J. Crew's peacoats are legendary, but Delia's has some really cute ones as well.

However, if you're feeling a little adventurous (or you simply were born that way), try a toggle coat in a bold color! This red one is from Delia's.

For the [rare and wonderful] days when you only need a light fleece, there are several popular options.

The first is the The North Face Denali Jacket. Practically everyone I know has one of these and absolutely swears by it. I've borrowed them before, and I must admit that they're pretty darn warm. Perhaps in the future, I will find it necessary to invest in [a black] one, but for right now I'm okay.

Next is the Patagonia Re-Tool Snap-T Pullover... What a mouth-full. My friend Jewels has one of these in this gorgeous blue-green color and it's absolutely the softest, fuzziest, most wonderful thing ever. "It's like being wrapped in a permanent hug!" she says. I really like this gray color, but the cream and the purple  are both pretty too.

For those cold, rainy days, a good raincoat is a must. I have The North Face Venture Jacket that I layer over a sweatshirt or a fleece when it's chilly. This is absolutely the best raincoat ever. Period. No questions asked.

Also good for rainy days are duck boots. I love duck boots. L. L. Bean is a must for duck boots. 

A good substitute for duck boots is wellies. L. L. Bean and Hunter make the best, but Target has some really adorable styles as well. 

L. L. Bean

Hunter

Target

And, one last thing: a vest of some sort. Personally, I'm more of a fan of fleece vests than I am puffer vest, but it's all a matter of personal preference.

J. Crew

Patagonia

Either of these can be easily layered over a turtleneck or a hoodie, as shown here. (Yes, more Polyvore. What can I say? It's very addicting.)

What are your must-haves for this dreadful winter weather?

Look for a post about adorable cold-weather accessories tomorrow!

xoxo,

Bee