Civil Twilight

     This Weekend I took a trip to Bethlehem, PA. The town is very industrial and is scattered with ruins of old steel factories. The town has a ton of cute shops and best of all an extremely awesome music venue. Musikfest Cafe is on the third floor of Art Quest. The Stage is backed up against a huge wall of windows, and behind the window is an old factory that is lit up with blue lights when it is dark. This weekend I went to go see Civil Twilight!!!!!
      A really cool band called Delta Rae opened up the show! I instantly fell in love with their music! They are like a folk-indie-rock infusion, that every one is going to love! I was not expecting such a treat as an opening act. I feel very lucky to have seen them! And so unexpectedly! You can download a live album of theirs on Facebook! And you can watch their really cool video for Bottom of the River HERE!

 
Here are some photos!

     Next up was Civil Twilight! AND OH MY GOODNESS, I love them! Their new album Holy Weather just hit stores! It is fantastic! They played fabulously as usual! I saw them about a year ago as well at the TLA in Philadelphia. My favorite song they played Friday night was off their new album and is called River! I have always been a fan of Civil Twilight and it is always a pleasure to see them! You can watch their video for their newest single, Fire Escape Here!

Here are some photos from the show!!

                                                           

These last two photos kinda made my week! Even though I look kinda dorky haha!

A Silent Film w/ Empires

     Last night, I attended A Silent Film and Empires concert at Union Transfer in Philadelphia. Union Transfer is the newest music venue in Philadelphia. This place is very small, and  I think that the smaller the place the better! The size made it very intimate and no matter where you stood, you could always see because of the raised stage! If you live in the Philadelphia area and haven't been to Union Tran I would highly recommend going! The show last night was hosted by my favorite radio station Radio 104.5! They play all the best alternative music! If you want to listen to this station (and you do) then I would suggest downloading the iheart radio app. A very talented local group called Find Vienna kicked off the show and wowed the audience with a great U2 cover.

     Next came Empires!! I love them, but this was the first time that I have ever seen them live! I was completely blown away by their set! The lead singer has excellent stage presence and is very entertaining to watch! They have a new EP coming out that you can download for free at weareempires.com. I would highly recommend listening to them! They are definitely worth it! I talked to them after the show and they are just the nicest group!
     Click this link to watch a VIDEO! I took this with my phone! It was one of may favorite songs!

This is a photo of the Lead singer and bass player from Empires!

Find them on Facebook!

     The next band is one of my favorites in the world! If you have read my blog before you definitely have read about A Silent Film! I just love them and can't help but see them every time they come to Philadelphia! As always they sounded amazing and like nothing else! Robert the lead singer has a voice of velvet, Ali the bass player is one of the best bass players of today, Karl on guitar is pure genius, and Spencer plays the drums like no one else! They played a lot off new songs of their newest album, Sand and Snow, which comes out on June 5th, along with older favorites like, Driven By A Beating Heart, and You Will Leave A Mark. Their newest single, Danny, Dakota, & The Wishing Well is available on their Facebook page for a free download! A Silent Film is a group of extremely talented musicians and I think their music would appeal to just about every one! They sound amazing live, and get better every time I see them! Plus they are super approachable and fun to talk to!

     Click on this link to watch a VIDEO  that I took with my phone!

This is Karl doing his thing on the Guitar!

 Ali on bass                                             Rob on piano

More Ali!

More Rob!

Plus I got to talk to every one afterwards which is always fun!! They are so nice and their music is FANTASTIC! Find them on Facebook!

   

    

   

Spring Trends

     Ahh spring is finally here! I love spring, it's my favorite season, with the shining sun and blooming flowers, and best of all it's perfect fashion weather!! How do you plan on staying trendy this season? Tonight we are going to talk about some of my favorite trends of the season!
     Let's start with polka-dots. I for one am a huge supporter of polka-dots! They are cute and extremely girly. They have a certain visage of ease and innocence. This is how I would use polka-dots in an outfit:

I love my polka-dot dress from Francesca's! (got it on sale for $24.99) What I like about it, is that the dots are not perfectly round and have a bit of a rough edge to it! The sash is amazing and makes it even more special! Also, the sash divides up the print a little so you are not engulfed in dots! I feel like, if you are going to wear polka dots, you might as well go completely fifties. So I paired this dress with vintage inspired sandals (Payless $26.99) and a structured bag. 

     From year to year there is always one trend that always makes it to the spring-must-have list. Every one, say it with me, FLORAL! Floral is always in style and has a universal appeal that satisfies every ones style. I love floral! It's so spring time and gives off happy vibes. Floral is just so adorable and you can match the blooming flowers around you.

This skirt is actually a dress that I got from Peebles six years ago. The top of the dress wasn't my favorite thing in the world so I put a light sweater on top of it. I loved the greens, blues, and fullness of the skirt! I paired them with my favorite pair of brown wedges. Notice that the floral print is small. If the print is too big then you will disappear in your flowers!

     My ABSOLUTE favorite trend of the season is stripes!! Stripes are amazing! They have a really cool and edgy look! Every one looks like a rock star in stripes. You have to be careful of stripe placement though. For example horizontal stripes add width and emphasize shortness. Vertical lines draw the eye up and down so you look taller and slimmer. Diagonal lines create a defined angle and it is up to you to decide if that stripe cuts you well.    

This is my new favorite dress! I got it from TJmaxx for $19.99. The diagonal lines on this dress draw attention to the waist because the angle is at the center of the dress.This dress has a cool factor, so I paired it with my Steve Madden sparkly wedges and my fav "The Sak" handbag!

     This next trend is timeless! No matter what this will always be in style! Yes, black and white! This classic combo has been in style as long as the earth has been around. It will continue to be stylish for years to come! This spring black and white is every where! This is how I do B&W:

I paired this mini dress with the BEST Black and White blazer from H&M! Just black and white can easily get boring so try to mix it up a little bit. Move away from pairing a white shirt with black bottoms. Experiment with new shapes and textures!

     Lace has been all over the runways this spring. You have to be careful because lace can easily be tacky. For example those tee shirts with cut outs of lace can easily look cheap and unfinished. I love lace for spring because it is so breezy and cool.

I got this fantastic lace top from a local shop called Chantilly Blue, they specialize in denim, but I found this as well! Lace is very classy so I paired it with a grey pencil skirt, vintage inspired pumps, and structured bag, and a bold necklace! Lace can also be very rock 'n roll and looks wonderful with a leather motorcycle jacket!

     Pastels and spring are just meant for each other. It is not spring until you wear a pastel top or accessories! The colors are delicate and muted, it's so dainty! I like to wear my pastels in a more casual way. For example:

I put this soft pink top with a pair of slingbacks, lighter denim, and a spring bag. I also added a wooden bracelet to keep the natural vibe.

     Bright colors are also very trendy this season! Above all the rest though is TANGERINE! I love this color, it compliments blue eyes! Orange is such a bright sunny color! Great ways to include this hue into your wardrobe is through a shirt and accessories! This is my favorite orange top:

 

I got this at a Banana Republic outlet. I love the movement of this top! It looks great with everything! You could wear it with dress pants, pencil skirts, and even jeans!

     We have come to the final trend. This would be color blocking! I love color so color blocking is super cool! It is really fun to experiment with and try out all of the different colors. One rule is, DO NOT use more than three colors at a time! It becomes too much! (blue jeans do not count as a color)

I put this red blazer with an orange top and a fuchsia purse! I put all of this with a pair of dark jeans.

     Trends can be really fun! You just need to put your own personal twist on them to make them unique! 

 

Couscous Pesto Salad

     This weekend I wanted to try a ton of new recipes! One of my favorites was this couscous pesto salad! It was really good and extremely easy to make!!! I really love cooking, but I am not the most talented at it! So I have been trying to find some really easy recipes that still taste good! I know that a lot of people out there are just like me when it comes to cooking! Plus not every one has the time or patience to do extensive cooking, so a recipe like this is perfect for people like us!
    First you need to gather all of the ingredients, here is a list!

• 2 medium zucchini (my grocery store did not have zucchini, so I substituted it for squash)
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 medium red onion (you only use half in the recipe)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups of couscous
• 1 tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil
• 1 container (7 ounces) of refrigerated basil pesto (this can be found in the refrigerated and condiment section inf your grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic or red wine vinegar

     I bet that a lot of those things can be found in your pantry at home! The directions are really fast too!

1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise in half, cut each half into 1/4 inch slices. Cut the pepper lengthwise in half and cut out the seeds and membrane. Cut the bell pepper into 1/2 inch slices. Then cut the onion length wise in half and cut that half into eight wedges. Keep the other half for another use.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Stir in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Continue
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high and heat for 1-2 minutes. Cook the zucchini, bell pepper, and onion in oil for about five minutes, stir frequently.
4. Mix the couscous, vegetable mix, pesto, and vinegar in a bowl. Serve warm or refrigerated for 30 minutes until chilled.

My Style Icon

      I have loved fashion my whole life. Growing up and still to this day I look up to my grandmother for fashion inspiration. Every thing about my grandmother, Jeannette Martin, is stylish. Her elegance, her poise, grace, beauty and fashion are all a sight to behold. She does every thing fashionably. My grandmother has helped me become the person I am today. I am truly grateful to have some one like her in my life.

This is my grandmother Jeannette wearing a striped blouse in her senior portrait.

This is me and my grandmother now! Still stunning!

     My grandmother loved dressing up for all occasions. (I must have gotten that from her!) She was the definition of timeless style. The things that she wore in the 40's, 50's and 60's are still relevant in fashions today. She has always had a knack for  knowing what would always be in style. Her looks were always complete, no matter where she went, everything she wore went together, her looks were harmonious.

This is my grandmother with my young Aunt Kim. She wears a beautiful skirt suit!

 

Here she wears a stunning white full skirt dress! I am in love with this dress! I want one.

     When she was in high school her older sister, Betty, worked at Kennard's department store. Betty helped make my grandmother's style possible by bringing home all the latest trends for her from work. In the forties Kennard's was the department store to shop at.

This is my grandmother in a plaid coat dress with her sister Betty! This coat dress inspired.....

......me to get this plaid jacket!

     Looking through my grandmother's photographs is my favorite thing to do. I loved seeing how people lived, dressed. and threw parties. I look through her photos all of the time. There is something special about the black and white snapshots. When my grandmother and I go through those pictures we always talk fashion. Over time she helped me develop my own style. I take inspiration from those photos and add my own twist.

This is my grandmother in between my grandfather (left) and her brother in law (right)

 This is her in one of her favorite bathing suits. I love vintage bathing suits and was lucky to find one like this!

This is my grandmother at the beach in another fantastic bathing suit! I love the halter top!

     My grandmother helped me realize that the best fashions are the timeless ones. Trends come and go, but you should always stick with your own personal style.  She always looks so lady like and proper. I want to be as polished and fashion forward as her. Every single day, when I pick out my outfit, I  think 'Is this something Jeannette would wear?' If it is, then I have accomplished the look I was going for. She is the reason I am so enthusiastic about fashion. She introduced me to how much fun, shoes, hand bags, and jewelry can be.

I LOVE this picture! This is my grandmother in her first house! I love her skirt in this picture! And she gave me that apron! This inspired.........

.....this outfit! 

My grandmother is the second from the left in the top row! Here she is ice skating with her best friends! She is wearing a driving coat with a pair of fantastic plaid slacks! 

     My grandmother is somebody I strive to be like. She is beautiful, smart, talented, feminine, and fashionable. She has all of the good qualities a person should have. She is more than my inspiration for fashion, she inspires me to be a better person every single day. I cherish the time that I have with my grandmother. She understands my love of fashion and shares that passion with me.

These are from my grandmother's wedding day! They make such a good couple and still do to this day! They were married July 29th, 1950.

I am in LOVE with my grand mother's wedding dress! It is so cute! It is the definition of timeless! 

This is her getting ready on her wedding day!

     Her professional look was a fitted pencil skirt, blouse, and pumps. For parties she loved to where full skirted dresses and high heels. For lazy summer days she wore her favorite pair of short shorts and a button down top. No matter the occasion my grand mother looked fabulous.

These are my grandparents with my Aunt as a baby! I Love her hat and dress in this picture! The way her skirt falls is amazing! This inspired....

........this outfit! I tried to recreate the flowers in her hat with the flowers on my cardigan.

     Her lady like and timeless style will always have a special place in my wardrobe. My grandmother is my style icon.

This is my grandmother during Christmas time in 1957. This inspired.......

......this outfit! I tried to recreate the sleeves. The ones on my dress are shorter, but it has the same idea!