love and some verses

(tights: h&m, headband: charming charlie, everything else is vintage) 

"kisses are a better fate than wisdom."

e.e. cummings

    A huge happy Valentine's Day to everyone reading this, and I hope you day/evening was surrounded by a loved one(s). This holiday has always been one of my favorites; from the tradition of picking a Valentine, to seeing everyone in line at floral shops picking up flowers. I like to theme my outfits with holidays, so Valentine's Day is one of my favorites to do so. I picked out pinks from my closet (including a nightgown and one of my favorite pairs of tights), and paired them with a pink-flowered headband. Yes, people did in fact ask me if I dressed specifically for the holiday... and I loved it. 

    For my Valentine's Day, I went to school as usual during the day, but in the evening my boyfriend surprised me with a night of bowling and arcade games. We had planned on seeing a few bands at a holiday show, but I loved the spontaneous idea. He picked me up a dozen white roses, a bottle of blush champagne (which I mostly drank all to myself.. opps!), three of my favorite movies, and some nude matte lipstick. For him, I tracked down a collection of three short stories by one of his favorite authors, double chocolate stout, and white chocolates. Little gifts for little holidays are my favorites. 

flows free, holistic healing/facials

   My dear friend Caprice Stanger does something magical; she uses simple products to transform your skin to it's fullest. Caprice is a self-employed certificated esthetician, focused on incorporating holistic moralities in treatments such as Reiki, armotherapy, accupressure, massage and hot stone therapy in her treatments. Caprice is also a Certified Usui Reiki Master, which is a natural healing process. Along with her many talents/services, she makes and sells handmade facial and beauty products (ranging from toners, to beet blush, to infused oils, and others). She offers a large variety of facials and services to meet any person's individual needs, 

   I was so happy when Caprice contacted me about booking a facial with her. I have received one from her in the past, but this is the first I have received from her in her personal space of booking and through her own business. Caprice offers services from her Midtown apartment, where the majority of her space seems to be dedicated to her craft. She also runs a blog, Flows Free, where she posts recipes/offers and gives background to her studies.

   For my facial, Caprice used an exfoliator and a facial mask, along with cleaning and moisturizing the skin. Caprice often creates her own products from natural/organic materials, along with using a local company (also her place of work) called Skin. The exfoliator is Skin's Fruity Face Cleansing Scrub, that is made with plum kernel oil and apricot kernel for a gentle exfoliation. The facial scrub was made by an independent organic beauty creator, Earth Wise Naturals, made from rose petals and milk. Rose petals are calming, soothing, and naturally fragrant. The facial ended with a deep moisturizer from Skin, and my face has ever felt more refreshed.

   Caprice has been kind enough to offer a special for all of my readers for the next month. $35 for a 60 minute organic facial. To set up an appointment, you can contact her via email at: flowsfreehealth@gmail.com. Also through her facebook page, or contact her at 816-224-7840

c'est mon anniversaire

    Today marks the date that I was born 22 years ago. I was born early in the morning, so technically I've been 22 for many hours now, but I don't believe it's fully set in yet. Why you may ask? 22 is the first real "adult age marker" (in my eyes).. I'm not a teenager, I'm old enough to purchase alcohol, the only thing I can't really do is rent a car (which I suppose 25 could be a year marker for that purpose). This year marks a year that people will expect more of me, I will expect more of myself, and I believe I'll start feeling better about that. 

    Although taking on new roles throughout this upcoming year, whichever they may be, I found myself looking back on my 21st year today. I received a text from my mom this morning that said "You should be proud... you have a lot going for a 22 year old", and it made me sit and think of all the things I have accomplished in my past year. 

I. I have pushed through more college classes than some take two years, transferred to the university I had longed to go to, officially changed my major (for the last time, hopefully), and maintained a grade point average I am proud of.

II. I have collaborated with more local businesses/artists than I had ever dreamed of doing this year. I hosted my first ever event, a pop-up shop, and began developing to co-host a charity event in early April. I was featured on a local news channel, twice, and shared a few projects of mine on air. I was also interviewed in my favorite local magazine. The opportunities I have had in my city this year have been so beneficial for me to be where I am today.

III. I opened and closed personal businesses this year. I started to re-brand my vintage clothing store, made it a little success for awhile and shopped for a few people locally, then decided to close it down to focus on other projects. I also started collecting rare and used books, which I sold either through my shop or on ebay. I also decided to start taking my photography/styling more seriously, and created a portfolio website to display my work. I am currently in the process of developing a shop to sell prints/postcards and working with local models to create beautiful pieces. 

    And honestly, that's not even half of what I believe I've accomplished during my time of being 21, but other's are more personal. I urge everyone to list out these accomplishments on their birthdays, and share them with other's surrounding them. If there is one thing I've learned this year past year, it's to not be afraid to share what you're proud of and great accomplishments made by YOU. They make you who you are and inspire those around you as well. With that being said, also ask about other's accomplishments as well, and encourage them to continue with their progress.What have you accomplished this past year? 

made at home: chocolate strawberry bundt cake

Chocolate Strawberry Bundt Cake

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup of coco powder
• 1/4 cup of very finely ground (or instant) coffee beans
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 cup of oil (I used vegetable)
• 1 cup of milk
• 3/4 cup of warm water
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla abstract
• 2 eggs
• 10 strawberries

   Combine all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix both of the eggs and vanilla abstract in the mixture. Add the oil and the milk. After mixed, stir in the warm water until the cake mixture is almost soup-like. Oil and flour the bundt cake pan, then pour the cake mixture into the pan. Slice the strawberries into fourths or halves, and gently place into the batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, then place onto a cooling rack to cool completely. 

White Chocolate Strawberry Glaze

• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips
• 5 strawberries 
• 1 cup of powdered sugar

    Pour the milk into a sauce pan, add the strawberries. Crush the berries in the pan, then bring the mixture to an almost boil on the stove top. Remove the pan from the stove and, over a strainer with another bowl underneath, pour the mixture to remove the seeds/large berry chunks from the milk. Quickly do this process so the mixture is still very hot, then add the chocolate chips and mix quickly until melted. Add the powder sugar until the glaze is thickened. Pour over the warm bundt cake to create a doughnut-like glaze. 

    I bought a bundt cake pan from an estate a few weeks ago for a couple cents, so I had been planning on putting it to use in the near future... which having a snow day presented the perfect opportunity to do so. Baking with only things I had around the house today (which was slim to none, considering it was a snow storm and we hadn't been grocery shopping in over a week), so I pulled out some frozen berries and white chocolate chips to work with.

    I also feel this recipe fits well with the upcoming holiday, Valentine's Day, because chocolates and strawberries seem to be so popular during the season. It kind of excited me that this went so well with that day, considering it is one of my favorite holidays. Also, a fair warning, baking bundt cake can become quite messy and take a while to bake.. I had forgotten that since my days of working at a bakery. 

snowflake ballet

(tights/boots: forever21, everything else is vintage or thrifted)

    Snowfall is the best thing about winter, although it does tangle up plans and make your Saturday much different than it was planned to be. I ended up staying around town, took a little drive (after much clearing of ice on my car and carefully walking down my ice-covered back staircase) to the Waldo Flea Market in search of Valentine's Day cards/decorations. There was such an assortment of cards perfect for the holiday, I ended up choosing my favorite and heading home with it. 

    I decided to wear my newest addition to my nightgown collection, a vintage Dior silk and lace piece, out and about today. When I was in high school, some of my favorite dresses where in fact nightgowns as well, and it's quite funny to me how my personal style is like "an ever-repeating circle" (or so I thought that today). Does that feeling ever come to you? It's quite a wonderful thing being able to use your past wardrobe choices for current influence. I hope to be able to look back at how I dressed now for future clothing choices.