May I have your attention please?

...Tomorrow is my birthday! But as exciting as getting another year older is for the mid-twenties-aged female (hah!) that is not my big news. I actually have some really big news to share with you all, and it will all be revealed tomorrow!

And let me clarify here... It's not just really big. It is a REALLY BIG, HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT. Dare I even say it falls under the category of "Life-Changing?" Any guesses, by the way? (Don't guess if you already know...friends, family, MOM...)

Check back in tomorrow, on my 26th birthday, because I've been sitting on this carton of dynamite for about 1.5 weeks now, and I've been waiting for a really special occasion to share it with all of you!

L'Amour List: Rose

It's time again for another L'Amour List. This time I am thrilled to be featuring an Ohio State student, fantastic marketing intern, and all around lovely lady named Rose. I'm very excited, as is Rose, to show you a few of her favorite things. I hope you enjoy them!



1  Harney & Sons English Breakfast Tea is her absolute favorite!
2  Rose love photorealistic paintings. Especially this one by Ralph Goings. It's also a dream of hers to be a "regular" somewhere, at a diner or breakfast place or something, which is why she loves this particular painting so much.
3  She loves art inspired outfits like this one on Polyvore. She loves black, white, and the gorgeous champagne color...not to mention this very poster is hanging in her room right now!

4  This dress from Modcloth is on Rose's wishlist! Red is her favorite color, and sheath dresses are her favorite silhouette for sure.

5  Pugs! They are her favorite dogs.

6  Dystopian Novels are Rose's favorite genre... She's not quite sure why, but she's read 1984 and Brave New World several times each!
7  Her go-to scent, especially in the winter months! It has a deep, rich, spicy scent that's perfect for holiday parties or spicing up an otherwise dreary winter day. Unfortunately she just ran out, so a new bottle is on her Christmas wish list!
8  Another great dress from Modcloth in Rose's second favorite color...(and MY favorite, obviously.) She loves how this color dresses up an otherwise conservative cut. She would pair it with a cropped jacket and red heels. Super cute!
9  Rose has been eyeing these vintage-looking earrings, also from Modcloth.
10  Last, but certainly not least, the Chipotle burrito! Her favorite food of all time...everyone at work knows this. She can't NOT mention Chipotle.

There you have it! Rose's L'Amour List. (I truly can not believe no one has ever mentioned Chipotle before in these...Can you??) To see other great L'Amour Lists, click here! And while you're clicking away, be a doll and follow me on Bloglovin'!

I got 99 Followers, but YOU ain't one!

Haha, ignore my cheesy nod to this rap song {not safe for work, btw...} and think long and hard about whether or not YOU would like to become my coveted 100th blog follower! I would love you forever and ever and ever. I would make a L'Amour List featuring YOU. YOU could have the power to make me very, very happy just two short days before my BIRTHDAY! Okay, begging over. But seriously guys...

Editors Note:  Thanks so much to DENISE, my official 100th blog follower! You are one delightful lady! I am excited to feature you in an upcoming L'Amour List! Start thinking about tour 10 favorite things...

Cocktail Couture: Middle West Spirits White Russian

This week's Cocktail Couture finale features one of my all-time favorite cocktails, repopularized by The Dude, but enjoyed by the likes of Don Draper and Roger Sterling in 1963 as well...The White Russian. And not only is this my favorite of our drinks, but I am absolutely in love with the glamorous photos taken by none other than Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen and the blog Freshly Baked. She has utilized some of my favorite budget-friendly jewelry pieces (both the bangle and the cocktail ring were less than 15 dollars each!) and the most glamorous piece in my entire jewelry arsenal, the vintage necklace I picked up at Funky & Functional down in the Short North. It is so excitingto see the way she's styled the pieces with this gorgeous marble she picked up at Columbus Architectural Salvage.

We've blogged about Middle West Spirits (here for a refresher course) in our Hot Apple Toddy recipe, so if you need to get caught up to speed, check that out! And I would love to recommend you guys prepare your White Russians using Snowville Creamery products so you can rep Columbus through-and-through! Bottoms up!

All photography by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

And in case you need a refresher on Cocktail Couture, read our description below:

"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 


Catherine and I both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

To walk you down memory lane of our fun photo series, first there was the Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop featuring Columbus' own Watershed gin, and next the Tessora Lemon Capuccini made with Tessora Limone! Then came the Hot Apple Toddy, made with Middle West Spirits Whiskey followed by a bottle of Chilean Pinot Noir from Camelot Cellars. See all the recipe cards for the Cocktail Couture series below:

Gratuitous Clinique Moment

So I gave myself away when I clued you all on what I keep in my makeup bag, and I am pretty loud and proud about the fact that I love me some Clinique... It's not just the fact that every product seems to work miracles (though that certainly does keep me coming back for more), but moreso the fact that everything is beautiful, from the cosmetic color palette right dow to the packaging. Everything smells clean and fresh, and feels youthful and affordable but luxe at the same time. Clinique, for me, is an experience. I am continually surprised by each new product I try. Case in point: the Chubby Stick. (Cue to the choirs of angels shining beams of light down onto the Chubby Stick.) What is this strangely titled product, you may ask? Essentially, it's a sheer lipstick and a moisturizing lip balm all wrapped up in what looks like a big, fat crayon. And it's really the new frontier of lip color.

These days, unless you're wearing statement lips, like red, dark wine, or neutral, lipstick feels a little bit...old. And it just sits ontop of your lips feeling gummy...when it's not accidentally on your teeth! But the Chubby Stick glides on, enhances your natural lip color, and makes you look pretty but doesn't make a big deal about itself. I loved how they felt and looked so much that I bought two! (Fuller Fig and Mega Melon, to be specific)

1  Richer Raisin
2  Fuller Fig
3  Graped Up
4  Mega Melon
5  Super Strawberry
6  Woppin Watermelon
7  Chunky Cherry

Cocktail Couture: Camelot Cellars Chilean Pinot Noir

This week's installment of Cocktail Couture features a glass of wine recommended to me by Catherine Murray, food photographer extraordinaire behind Photo Kitchen and the blog Freshly Baked. And believe me, you are never going to want to pass on this glass...straight from Camelot Cellars, an "Urban Boutique Winery" located in the heart of Columbus' Short North district. With long, rustic wooden tables, cozy seating, soft, industrial lighting and a wall of literally every type of wine you could ever have dreamed of, Camelot Cellars is the perfect place to explore your passion for wine. And there is truly no better guide than Janine Aquino, the mastermind behind the revamping of Camelot Cellars, and one of the most personable ladies you will ever meet. If you stop by and introduce yourself, she would be more than happy to chat with you about the latest episode of any show on Bravo TV, follow you on twitter, and most importantly, introduce you to a bottle of wine you will really love. If you aren't a fan of wine, that's simply because you haven't met Janine and given her a minute to recommend the perfect bottle as though she were an oracle of grapes. Or, better yet, get you and your friends set up for a private wine tasting!

Below you will see more of Catherine's favorite, the Chilean Pinot Noir, which she bought when we were shopping together, and foolishly left at my apartment...You can bet an unopened bottle of wine doesn't last long in my natural habitat! So, although I felt a bit guilty about it, I cracked it open for myself and a few out-of-town guests, and all three of us were obsessed. Of course, I replaced Catherine's bottle, so it was a win-win for us all. Catherine describes the flavor best on her post, saying that it "has a scent similar to strawberry jam, but the flavor is smooth, rich, just slightly fruity, and a little smoky."

All Photography by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

I highly recommend you check out Camelot Cellars and this delicious Pinot Noir immediately! And bottles of wine, as well as wine tastings and wine making parties, are perfect gifts for the upcoming holiday season! Salut!

And in case you need a refresher on Cocktail Couture, read our description below:

"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

Catherine and I both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

First there was the fantastic Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop featuring Columbus' own Watershed gin, and next the Tessora Lemon Capuccini made with Tessora Limone! Then came the Hot Apple Toddy, made with Middle West Spirits Whiskey. See all the recipes in this Cocktail Couture series below:

 
 

A Designer's (EXPENSIVE) Toolkit

I had a very expensive day today... The kind of day where you're literally just s t u n n e d.
The kind of day where I saw basically a year of scrimping and saving (and freelancing my pants off) flash before my eyes with just one swift swipe of the debit card. And I left not wanting to scare the nice gentleman helping me carry my new treasures to my car by quietly weeping...

You will know this feeling well if you've ever been a graphic designer who desperately needed to stock up on new hardware AND software all in the same hour-long trip to the technology store. I am feeling better about it now, especially since while I was going swipe happy,  I added a pair of Warby Parker glasses to my expenditure tally. You gotta be able to see straight (and look cool) to be a designer, I've learned! And I didn't end up really loving any of these ones... Once I crack open this new Macbook Pro, upload all of my new software, and try on my new glasses, I will just be a brand new lady! What do you think? Have you guys ever taken a soul-crushing trip to the Apple store? Here are a tally of today's purchases:

1  15-inch: 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro
My 3-year-old MacBook Pro has survived an exploded battery, a blown left speaker (which has left it whistling like a tea-kettle), 2 years of design school, a senior thesis project, and a job designing a magazine... It's officially time to retire him. Also, you should note, I NEVER go without AppleCare protection. It has saved me twice in the past, and I'd definitely rather be safe than sorry...

2 Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium
Who could pass up an Ohio State Employee discount on Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium when instead of costing the usual $1,899.99 smackers, I got it here for a miniscule $350 dollars??

3  Microsoft Office:Mac 2011
I once again chose to utilize my Ohio State employee discount to get this software down from $149.99 to a mere $85.00. Thanks, Wired Out!

4  A FREE HP Deskjet 3050A e-All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Copier 
I use a printer next to never, but why turn down a freebie? And who knows? Maybe I will use it more than I think I will?

5  Crosby Burgundy Fade glasses from Warby Parker
This was the biggest surprise of the day, actually. Libby, my lovely coworker, had utilized Warby Parker's amazing 5-pair "Try Before You Buy" offer, and we were so excited to get the package today! I love trying on glasses, so I snatched a few pairs to try on for myself, and kinda-sorta fell in love with this pair. They are exactly what I was looking for in a pair of big, plastic statement glasses. And I love the coloring, because it looks almost black on top when they're on, but with the red fade pattern, they go well with my hair. It was a great surprise, because I really never would have tried these on if they weren't sitting out on a table in our office. I ended up loving these way more than the ones I debated in this post...and thus, I was sold.

So I am truthfully stocked up on every piece of equipment a good designer could possibly need to do her job. I don't even know what to do next. But the answer is probably design something, so I can make back some of my squandered money!!

Yeah, I Bought It

I treated myself to this lovely little Coach bag for a number of reasons. I will now list them for you. One of them being the fact that my birthday is coming up in 10 days. Another being the fact that I have been working very hard on the Winter issue of Edible Columbus. A third being the fact that I work very hard ALL YEAR and have never treated myself to something so beautiful that it literally had to be pried from my hands by the sales girl without me wanting to weep... so instead of saying "aur revoir, mon amie"...I said "I'll take it, please and thank you!" Because that's what 26-year-olds who consistently work 70+ hours per week get to do. Right? Right!? I am sounding a little crazy... It's been a very eventful week. More later, darlings!

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge: Day 5

Finishing up our lovely Pinspiration Fashion Challenge were contenders Cameron, Kim and Libby. I unfortunately didn't make it all the way through the week due to work (and stress) piling up....making Libby the clear WINNER of Pinspiration Fashion Week! I think Libby was the winner in a number of categories; stamina (obviously, she stuck it out for all 5 days), general outfit cuteness (she had some of the best looks all week!) and finally the DIY award (She was the only one who put the pedal to the medal and modified a piece in order to make it more like her pinspiration!) Congratulations, Libby! Check out their finale looks below:

Cameron's Pinspiration

Libby's Pinspiration

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge: Day 4

Sorry for the delay! Finally getting around to posting Thursday's Pin-spiring outfits from my office! Today, in search of a fun place to take our photos, we ventured down into the basement where our building's catering operation keeps their overflowing tables, chairs, and other goodies. It was fun to explore. Hope you enjoy the outfits as well as our mysterious location!

Libby's Pinspiration

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge: Day 3

As much as our Pinspiration challengers stepped it up on Tuesday, we started to lose a bit of steam by hump-day. Both Libby and I remarked that it was much harder than we thought to put that much planning into our outfits every day for an entire week! While it's definitely fun to plan an outfit in advance, I also love the freedom of just being able to throw on an old standard when I'm in a rush as well. But NOT during Pinspiration Fashion Week! Take a look at our Wednesday challenge looks below:

My Pinspiration

Libby's Pinspiration

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge: Day 2

Tuesday brought 2 additions to our Pinspiration Fashion Challenge, our interns Kendall and Cameron. We were so excited to have even more Pinners to participate, and especially to see the looks everyone came up with. So, I won't delay the experience...see for yourself!

Cameron's Pin-spiration

Kendall's Pin-spiration

Libby's Pin-spiration

My Pin-spiration

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge: Day 1

Monday kicked off our Pinspiration Fashion Challenge! In case you aren't familiar with this made-up challenge, I came up with it during a meeting with my coworkers, so we all decided to make a weeklong adventure of finally putting all of our Pinning into action! Monday, we only had 2 participants...Libby (Remember her from her L'Amour List?) and myself. But I think we started off with a bang. Take a look!

Libby's Pin-spiration

My Pin-spiration

Cocktail Couture: Middle West Hot Apple Toddy

This week's installment of our Cocktail Couture features a fall favorite, a classic apple Hot Toddy with a delicious Middle West twist! Using local Ohio honey and whiskey from Columbus' very own Middle West Spirits gives you an opportunity to present your upcoming holiday guests with a taste of Ohio's bounty. Once again, Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen and the blog Freshly Baked has styled these sultry-looking evening cocktails with some baubles and bangles directly from my own person jewelry armoir! Although I am sad to say that fabulous crushed onyx locket is her own piece... I am really coveting that right now! Anyway, I hope you all get a chance to work this delicious recipe into your upcoming Thanksgiving feasts. I happen to guarantee this will go perfectly with that piece of pumpkin pie. Cheers!

All photography in the series by Catherine Murray of Photo Kitchen

And in case you need a refresher on Cocktail Couture, read our description below:

"Haute Couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing, usually made from high-quality expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques...The hand-crafted (local) alcohol is created by those dedicated to their craft, making award-winning bottles of gin, vodka, whiskey, wine, and Tessora." 

Catherine and I both believe that the handiwork and detail that goes into the brewing and distilling of our local-to-Columbus spirits are nothing short of couture themselves, especially when paired with fun jewelry and accessories...and you all know I am a firm believer that the cocktail you sip is as much a part of the statement you are making as anything else on your body! So let's get creative!

First there was the fantastic Watershed Gin Pumpkin Drop featuring Columbus' own Watershed gin, and next the Tessora Lemon Capuccini made with Tessora Limone! See the recipes below:

Once Upon A Time...

There was a girl named Jenna who watched way too much television. The most terrible, horrible shows that turned her brain to absolute mush! First, there was Dance Moms and The Real Housewives of Everywhere... Even, on occasion 19 Kids and Counting, or whatever the running number is at the time. Oh, the shame!

Of course there are plenty of shows I will unapologetically love forever, like Project Runway and Gossip Girl, and but once in a while, I find something that is actually really great television. Enter the new ABC fairytale series, Once Upon a Time. I look forward to it every Sunday, to see which new fairytale characters are going to be introduced, and watch the crazy evil queen and Emma Swan go head-to-head. You can get all caught up by watching the first few episodes on Hulu here. So what do you think, guys? Anyone else loving this show? Anyone willing to give it a try? I'd love to chat about it with you!

Laundry Room Lust

I spend an inordinate amount of time just pining for laundry rooms. I have been without one of my own for the past seven years, and even when I did have one, I was sharing it with four messy, disorganized people... i.e. my family. I can not wait to live in a place where I can go into a whole room designated just for washing, drying, ironing and folding clothes. Goodness, I'd even settle for a washer/dryer behind some folding doors! But I can promise you, if I had one of these laundry rooms, I would never ever EVER take it for granted...

 

All images via Pinterest

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge

Next week, my coworkers and I are going to spice up our week with a little something I have dubbed the Pinspiration Fashion Challenge. Each day of the week, we need to find an outfit on Pinterest to recreate using clothes from our own wardrobes. I think it will be a fun way to put some extra thought into getting ready, and to take a second look at what we already have in order to find pairings we've never thought of before. I am busy pinning away...and one (or more) of these outfits from the September Pull & Bear Lookbook is definitely going to be inspiring one of my looks during the week... I'm excited! I'm hoping to share a few "best-of" pics here on JSQ so you all can see how it all turned out!