Out of Commission

Hey readers! Just wanted to let you know that I am doing a major renovation here over the weekend.If the site looks wonky don’t freak out!

See you next week!

Outfit Inspiration – New Series!

Today marks the beginning of Outfit Inspiration, a new series on SLH! Style, not just fashion, has always been a hobby of mine and after moving to NYC, it has become an even bigger passion. The women in New York are gorgeous, sophisticated, chic, trendy… I’ve heard it said that the most stunning women in the world live in Manhattan and I wouldn’t debate that! Beautiful, confident and effortlessly stylish, I think New York women could give those Parisians a run for their money.

With inspiration on every corner, I figured I’d share some of my favorites here in this little space of mine. Now some of you might be wondering if this is going to become a fashion blog and the answer is NO! SLH is a place where inspiration runs wild, from fashion to food. And everything in between :) Anyways, here is my first post.

This Proenza Schouler dress worn on Jamie King is the epitome of summertime chic. From the prints to the cut, I wish I had enough money to buy my own. Till then, I’ll just swoon over this picture.

Meet & Greets with NYC Bloggers

Thanks to the power of Twitter, I became a little busy social bee last week! I had the pleasure of meeting up with two lovely New York City bloggers, Lauren & Caroline, whose blogs I follow and love to read. While I have a handful of hilarious, sweet friends in the city, I am always looking for new interesting people to chat with.

The great thing about meeting bloggers via Twitter is that you get a better sense of who they are. Blogging is such a one-sided street and sometime, meeting a blogger can be a letdown because who YOU thought they were is not who THEY really are. However, the great social media gods remedied this problem with the invention of Twitter. Reading these ladies tweets and seeing their personality in 140 characters (or less) made sack up and see if they would be open to meeting up. And luckily, they were!

If you are looking for two new blogs to add to your expanding Google Reader (seriously, mine is crazy!), I highly recommend these two. During last week’s crazy apocalyptic weather, Lauren and I shared a drink and chatted about everything. Normally I’m pretty nervous about meeting people via the webs but she has been so kind and sweet, I didn’t feel awkward at all.

On Friday, I visited the ever-so regal Plaza Hotel where I met with Caroline, who recently moved to NYC from Texas. Over delicious cocktails, we talked about celebrities, the perils of NYC, and the crazy world of blogging. I can’t wait to meet up with her again in the future and gab some more!

Hopefully, you all visit these two ladies. I think you will be definitely impressed!

Easy, Breezy…

Two weeks ago, I took a quick trip back to California. Despite the ridiculous flight delay that had me grounded at JFK for 6 hours (on the runway! 6 hours!), I am so glad I went. A little dose of sunshine and a whole lot of love welcomed me and I spent my 5-day vacation catching up with family + friends.

Being away from my loves for 5 months really took its toll on me. Once home, I started questioning my decision to live in New York.

California is so easy. No subway, no evil characters. All my loved ones here. People who I have known for decades live here. How can I be away from them?

It didn’t help that once I got back to the city, I had to deal with a possible bug problem that left me in a hotel, depleting my impending vacation savings for Australia. Suffice to say, I was NOT a happy camper.

But these past few days I made sure to catch up with my friends here who matter most. Just talking with them and hearing their own troubles makes me feel like what I am going through is normal.

Let me be frank: New York is hard. Crazy hard. It’s dirty, rude, gritty, and challenging. But it can also be magical, rewarding, astounding, and exciting.

You could say I am in a love/hate relationship with NYC. Like a typical girl, I keep coming back for me ;)

Anyways, while home, I made this simply Strawberry Cake. Can I tell you a secret? I cheated and used Trader Joes Vanilla Bean Cake Mix. I often hesitate to buy cake mix because the flavors are muted and it tastes like cardboard. However, this mix was steller. Moist and natural, I would gladly use it again. For the frosting, I used this one that I love so much. Since you are using real strawberry preserves, you can actually taste the real bits of strawberry in the frosting.  I can’t wait to buy this mix again and pair it with other frostings and flavors. Anybody up for a funfetti cake?!

 

A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Hello SLH readers! I wanted to pop in before the weekend and say a quick hi.

Memorial Day is the official start for summer and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Normally I’m a fan of fall/winter but I’ve changed my tune! I’m ready for sunny days, warm weather, beach vacations, and most of all, plenty of time with close friends and family.

Speaking of which, I’m actually jetting out of town tonight to spend this holiday with my lovelies in California.

On my agenda: parking it on the beach, late-night drinks with friends, time with my family, and lots of guacamole & chips. Oh, and I fully plan on putting my camera to good use so get ready!

I hope you all have a splendid weekend… See you next Tuesday :)

Hester Street Fair

Last weekend I wandered with my pal Gen and her boyfriend to check out the Hester Street Fair. Small and cozy, there were lots of interesting vendors and good food. I tried the macarons because how can a girl resist? Next time I will definitely try the lobster rolls and pulled pork sammies. I met and chatted with Wink and Flip, a local jewelry maker. Her designs were very colorful and summer-appropriate. I picked one up for a friend and plan on going back for more Anthropologie-esque designs (without the price tag).

Gray gloomy skies are here to stay this week in NYC. We had one glimpse of sun on Saturday and I soaked it up completely. Of course, because NYC likes to keep you on your toes, it started to downpour. Cue my run to the closest taxi.

While the weather is not pleasant, I am happy that this coming Thursday I will be jetting off to California for a quick trip. There will be lots of smiles, laughter, and FOOD. I am literally going to soak up the California sun and hopefully bring it back to New York. A little dose of home is just what this girl needs!

Go big, or go home

This weekend, after spending the past two weeks digging myself out of boxes and cleaning products, I ventured out in to my beloved NYC and actually explored.

With my camera.

Ground-breaking, right?

However, it felt… Amazing. Like I was back in business. After a really lonely winter and struggle with the blues, I’d like to think that I’m waking up again, which, coincidentally, matches the coming of summer. I’m not gonna sugarcoat things; the past few months have been rough. Real rough. I lose all enthusiasm for school and dealt with a copious amount of stress and dissatisfaction at work. Ask any of my friends and I was one negative nancy.

But, this weekend I felt like the old Amanda, er the new Amanda… The more lively Amanda, I guess.

What better way to celebrate the gorgeous weekend than a little excursion to get monster donuts. Donuts that have a loyal (albeit cultish) following. My friends and I made the trek to the Doughnut Plant, a Lower East Side doughnut shop that has a damn good reputation for delivering fatty, sweet doughnuts. The line was long, but not as bad as expected for a Saturday morning. However, I should warn you that the shop is teeny tiny. One man working the register, and at least a dozen customers excited to nosh their brains out.

While I love a good cake donut, this time I was all about the yeast kind. They had a range of flavors including Vanilla Bean, Coconut Cream, Valhrona Chocolate, Cashew, Fresh Mango, Creme Brulee, and so many more. Resisting the urge to get them all, I settled on a true winner: the Peanut Butter-glazed doughnut with Blackberry jam filling.

Oh. my. god.

It was heavenly. No, seriously. I heard angels sing. The salty crunchy peanut butter glaze combined with the sweet blackberry jam was exactly what I wanted. Not to mention, the actual monster-sized donut was pretty stellar. Soft, with a fried outside, but moist inside. It is sad to see a donut fall flat and thankfully, the Doughnut Plant’s did the exact opposite.

Next time, I plan on trying the fresh mango flavor because I just can’t imagine what mango + donut actually tastes like.

Till then, I will dream about the epic donut I had.

Springtime in NYC

Walks in Central Park.

Moving in to a new place.

Gazing at fresh flowers.

I love spring in New York City.

Getting Gorgeous!

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend the Getting Gorgeous event in Chelsea, which was aptly held on a stunningly fab day here in New York. Hundreds of bloggers and countless businesses were in the house, along with my dear friend Chris. Vera from I’m Not Obsessed kindly invited us and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Event attendees included Simply Orange (who happily gave us mimosas to enjoy while wandering the floor), Degree Women, Hanes (who talked me into trying their socks when enduring sweaty workouts), Sarah Potempa (who chatted with me about the importance of finding the PERFECT hair straighteners), Georgetown Cupcakes (drool!) and many more.

Go figure, I was more enthused about the cupcake than anything else. My friend Chris has the red velvet while I had some lemon-raspberry concoction. When I say they were droolworthy, I mean it. Moist and sweet, with a crazy delicious cream cheese frosting.

Overall, I had a fun time talking with vendors and snapping pictures like crazy. Once I got home, I dove in to the gift bag and found some cool stuff. I never knew Wheat Thins had Cinnamon Sticks, but hey, guess what? They do. Also, I found a product close to my heart… I don’t normally write about my work life but I was really happy to get these little gals in this bag.

What I loved the most about the event was seeing all the ladies come out in full force. White, yellow, purple, black, women from everywhere were here to celebrate their overall gorgeousness. Who doesn’t love that? Channeling my Spice Girls days, I’m all about girl power.

Thanks to Vera and the entire Getting Gorgeous staff for a lovely event!

A Blogger’s Dilemma

Remember the days when blogging was all about writing? I’m talking particularly about food blogging. When I started doing this (3 years ago, I think?) my main goal was to write.

Just simply write.

I felt that I was lucky enough to find an outlet like photography to compliment my blog but my focus was writing. And the sweet stuff didn’t hurt either.

Now, I feel that I am in constant search of original content. Is this someone’s true feelings or is it a product pitch? I think I’ve gotten more cynical (haha obviously) with my blogging experience. Maybe not cynical but definitely more disappointed. I have a handful of blogs that I follow that have continued to inspire me. These blogs are the reason why I keep doing this.

Not sure if you noticed, but I signed this blog up for a Facebook Fan Page. It was an impulsive move, one that I stayed away from for so long but decided would be fun. I didn’t expect the pressure that would come with it. Gotta get more fans, Gotta post more… It’s insane what a little fan page can do to me but it really made me rethink why I’m here. After a little time, I realized that I really do care what you all think. Because you are not just a number to me. Not just a statistic. You are a real, breathing human being. And I hope you find the SLH Fan Page to be a useful forum for discussion.

So, to be clear, this is my stance.

I’m not here to sell you products that I have never used before.

I’m not here to become a blogging superstar.

I’m simply here to share some experiences and engage in discussion.

Sounds simple, but the world of blogging has shifted so much in the past year. It’s hard to know my place. What I do know is that I like this space. I also like my other blog which chronicles the more mundane things in my life as well as inspiration points. I like juggling the two as it gives me two spaces to record my thoughts and feelings.

I’ve always been brutally honest here. I never shy away from talking about my high and (more often) lows. I hope that this kind of honesty is at least respected. If not, click out of the browser.

But for everyone else, thanks for staying. Thanks for commenting. Thanks for sending me emails in response to my other post. It was nice to know other people thought and felt the same way.

Thanks for just being here.