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    Outfit

    Cleaning Up The Clutter

    August 25, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Round Sunglasses (Not Available Online)
    H&M Striped Tee (Old)
    Cropped Paper Bag Trousers (Old)
    Madewell Loafers (Similar)
    Madewell Leather Bag
    (Click on the GIF!)
    I have to start off this post by saying that I desperately wanted to be at FYF this weekend, and I am kind of jealous of everybody else who got to go. How many times do you have the opportunity to see both Phoenix and The Strokes–two of my favorite bands–play on the same weekend?  I went last year and had a blast, but I didn’t have the money to buy tickets when they went on sale this year. I also couldn’t justify putting that purchase on my credit card because I’m trying to be a responsible adult (trying is the keyword in this sentence). But I can’t complain about missing out on a music festival when, this year, I’ve had the opportunity to travel to new cities to visit some of my most beloved friends. It is also easier to fight the urge to buy concert tickets with my concert buddies no longer around–you know who you are, and I miss you all!
    While I wasn’t at FYF this year, I managed to do some much-needed organizing. I spent most of Saturday cleaning out my closet and reorganizing my room.  The main reason that I wanted to organize my closet is because I keep trying to convince myself that I need new clothes, even though I have more than plenty of things to wear. Sometimes it seems much easier to go out and buy something new instead of taking the time to look through what you already have. But, in cleaning up the clutter in my closet, I’ve realized that I have a habit of doing that with many things in my life. I have a tendency to ignore matters that are pressing simply because I don’t want to deal with them, and take the easy way out by looking for a new and temporary solution. That is why I feel like I’m making progress when I actually make the effort to have some sort of structure in my workplace and in my home. Even if clutter manages to reappear a few weeks later, I at least have a moment where I feel like I somewhat have my life together.
    I didn’t spend all my weekend cleaning, though. Sunday was a great day because I went out for lunch with my Mom, my sister Sarah, and my brother David. After lunch, we spent some time walking around Old Pasadena and it was really fun. My Mom and I kept trying to take family photos, but Sarah and David just weren’t having it. I had to beg my brother until he finally agreed to take ONE picture with me. I guess the rest of the members of my family aren’t as obsessed with documenting every second of their life as I am. But, you have to have a way to remember all the good times you’ve spent together, right?
    As always, thank you so much for stopping by my blog and letting me get away with not talking about my outfit. I hope that you all have an amazing week!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    —-
    Don’t forget to enter my Raina Roo Giveaway down below! I’m giving away the two headbands below to one lucky winner.

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    Outfit

    Queen of the Fairies [Raina Roo Giveaway!]

    August 18, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    ASOS Leather Belt (Old)
    Raina Roo Queen of the Fairies Headband
    Floral Dress (Old)
    Seychelles Pumps (Old)
    Forever 21 Clutch (Old)

     

    As you can probably tell from all of my recent posts, lately I’ve been doing a whole lot of shopping in my own closet.  I’ve made a personal goal to really work on paying off my car and saving up some money in the next year, so I can’t splurge on clothes as much as I used to. Although it’s been a extremely hard to fight off the urge to indulge in some retail therapy, I’m determined to practice some self-control. As I’m working towards my goal, it really helps me that the joy of rediscovering a piece that I forgot that I had in my closet is just as satisfying as purchasing something new.
    My latest closet find was this floral sundress that I purchased a couple of years ago. Upon rediscovering this dress, it really blew my mind that I hadn’t worn it at all this summer. The cutout in the back and the breathable fabric make it perfect for the intense heat that we’re experiencing in SoCal. I decided to pair this dress with my new Queen of the Fairies headband from Raina Roo’s Etsy Shop, and it totally made me feel like a magical nymph.
    My younger sister Sarah takes most of my outfit photos for my blog, and it’s been a true bonding experience for us. Thanks to these outfit shoots, we both manage to get dressed and out of the house every weekend. This weekend we took my outfit photos by a pond at Caltech in Pasadena, and we decided to take a break by taking some nature shots. It was a good way for both of us to get some practice photographing different subjects. I can only hope that one of these days, Sarah will  finally allow me to photograph her outfits.
    Putting together this post was very exciting for me because this is actually my 50th blog entry. I started this blog a couple of months ago as a New Year’s resolution, in hopes that it would serve as a creative outlet and give me a reason to be more socially active. This blog has definitely served that purpose, and has even turned into part of my weekly self-care routine. When I’ve had a tough week and all that I want to do is lay around and watch T.V. on the weekend, it helps me to have something that motivates me to actually get out of the house. I’m also very grateful that this blog has helped me keep in touch with friends that are far away, and has even connected me to other amazing people with similar interests.
    In celebration of my 50th blog post, I’ve teamed up with Raina Roo to offer you a chance to win the two beautiful, handmade crocheted headbands pictured below. I’m very excited to collaborate with Raina Roo because I have been a huge fan of Raina’s shop for a long time, and I love that she makes beautiful handmade items that fit a variety of styles. You can enter to win some of her wonderful creations below! I will announce the winner here on September 1st.

     

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    Food & DIY

    Kale, Red Quinoa and Fruit Salad

    August 13, 2014
    Lately I’ve been trying to make more of an effort to eat more salads, since I’m trying to be more health-conscious and actually eat my vegetables. Over the weekend, I had the grand idea of making a salad of several ingredients that I was craving. The result was a delicious kale, quinoa and fruit salad. Being that these days I seem to have a huge sweet tooth, I loved that this salad kind of tasted like dessert. It was even a big hit with my family, and they don’t usually enjoy eating salads. I mean, who doesn’t want to get on board with eating healthy dessert salad? I know that I do!
    KALE, QUINOA AND FRUIT SALAD
    INGREDIENTS
    (MAKES 6-7 SERVINGS)
    SALAD:
    5-6 cups of chopped kale
    1 cup of uncooked red quinoa (about 3 cups prepared)
    1 cup of chopped walnuts
    2 cups of grapes cut in half
    2 cups of chopped strawberries
    1/2 cup of crumbled Feta cheese (optional)
    3 cups of shredded chicken (optional)
    RED WINE AND BASIL VINAIGRETTE
    1/3 cup of olive oil
    1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
    1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
    1 garlic clove
    1 tsp of sugar
    1 tsp of salt
    —–
    Directions.
    Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in cold water. Then, in a small pot mix 1 cup of quinoa with two cups of water. Once the water starts to boil, bring down the temperature to low, cover the pot and let the quinoa simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. You can also add a pinch of salt and pepper to the red quinoa for taste. Once the quinoa is cooked, rinse it again in cold water in order to cool it down.
    In a large salad bowl, mix the quinoa, chopped kale, grapes, walnuts and strawberries. You can also add Feta cheese and shredded chicken if you want to make your salad more filling.
    To make the vinaigrette, blend the olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh basil, garlic, sugar and salt. Pour the vinaigrette and toss the salad, and then you’re ready to serve.
    —–
    I have to say that putting this post together this weekend was so much fun. I know that I keep saying this, but I really do want to invest more time working on recipes and D.I.Y. tutorials. It puts me in such a good mood when I have the opportunity to be creative. Since I obviously don’t take my own outfit photos for this blog, it was also so much fun to have the opportunity to be behind the camera and come up with unique ways to stage everything.
    I hope that you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. I’d love to hear how how you like it once you try it out. Have an amazing rest of the week!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace