Proper Hunt: March 2014

{Kameko Flats / Embroidered Openview Tunic / Printed Top With Frills / Max Crossbody Bag / Pave Lips Bangle / Scarlet Nile Drops Earrings / Robinson Basket-weave Zip Continental Wallet / Latticework Skirt / Marmy Scalloped Sandals}
Happy Monday!! How was everyone's weekend? Ours was really great and of course went by too quickly. Even with the rainy weather, it was still a great weekend spent with family. I was also lucky enough to get some mommy time on Saturday, because Steve was going to a Nas concert at the Kennedy Center (crazy, huh?) and I cashed in on some of the amazing sales that were going on. Well, really Cora cashed in on some of the sales. Let's just say her Spring wardrobe is pretty much done. Oookay, it's never really done but I'm just saying, hehe. And I finally found some white skinny jeans that fit perfectly from Marshalls. I don't know about you, but I think that's cause for some major celebration since it's been impossible for me to find a pair at the right price point.

With all of these sales going on and retailers bringing out new arrivals for Spring, all I have on my mind is getting to wear some of these Spring fashions that I've been slowly collecting during this lingering winter. As you can see, I'm clearly into a lot of different styles. Bright reds, black & white, gold, and floral/botanical prints are catching my eye right now. I'm absolutely obsessed with that printed top with frills from Zara and have already decided that I'm wearing that the minute the weather gets warmer.

See any favorites above? Or have other trends that you're into right now? Would love to know!

Shop the Look

fashion - Monday, March 31, 2014

Wish List // Dreaming of Spring

{ Kameko Flats / Embroidered Openview Tunic / Printed Top With Frills / Max Crossbody Bag / Pave Lips Bangle / Scarlet Nile Drops Earr...

Lunch and shopping with the girls on 5th Ave.
We're back from Naples and I am finally sharing a recap of our trip! We were there for 4nts/5 days and really packed it in with everything that we wanted to do. We are still recovering from all the fun we had. It's hard to believe how fast it all went, but I guess that's how fun vacations go, right?

We stayed at our good friends', Lindsey & John, gorgeous new house and didn't want to ever leave. As you'll see in the photos below, their house is stunning. I wish I had taken more photos of their house than just the one I took below, but we were having too much fun that I completely forgot! Their back patio and pool area are what dreams are made of and it was an absolute dream to relax in that space.

One of the days we were there, the girls and I got to have some time alone so we went downtown to grab some lunch at Cafe Lurcat and enjoyed our meal with some live music while dining al fresco. It was the perfect way to spend time with each other and to relax for a little bit. And yes, we of course went shopping afterwards. That's our usual MO, hehe. Right after lunch, we stopped by Peach Tree Designs and we all loved so many of the pieces there. I particularly loved the artwork they had as you can see below. They also had this gorgeous Campaign dresser that I so wanted to take home even though we have no place for it or money for it.

Our days were filled with leisurely mornings for the girls, golf for the guys, and beach time filling in the rest of the time. Linds and John were amazing hosts, taking us to some of their favorite spots that they enjoy and it was so special & fun to enjoy it all together as a group. We don't get that many opportunities for us all to hang out as a group, so it's always a wonderful time when we get to.

For those of you wondering, Cora was pretty much a complete angel on the airplane ride, which is a total 180 from the last time we flew with her, so that was an amazing way to start the trip. On the way home, it wasn't as smooth but she kept it together for the most part and even snoozed a bit.

I'll stop talking now so that you can take a look at the photos to see what we were up to!

The prettiest little corridor ever.

Spelling lessons on the beach.

This sums up the entire trip with these two cuties. Holding hands was the name of the game, although I think Cora came off too strong at times.

Having some fun with daddy.

This girl loves the beach. All she wanted to do was walk in the water and play with the sand.

Cora's pretty happy because she's with her Aunt Lauren at the Ritz for lunch.

We stayed at our good friends', John & Lindsey, house and it was a dream.

During our girls outing, we stopped by Peach Tree Designs after lunch and enjoyed looking at all of the pieces they had. I couldn't help myself and snapped away at some of my faves including this gorgeous Campaign dresser.

The daddy's and daughters. Had to snap a pic of the lushness (is that even a word?) of that restaurant. So pretty!

I don't think any of us have ever laughed so hard as when we were playing this game. Oh, yes and who could forget Lord Mud making his first appearance playing this game. Lord Mud is Steve's comedic 'alter ego' and I'll most definitely have to share more on this at another time.

Until next time Naples!

lifestyle - Thursday, March 27, 2014

Weekend Recap // Our Naples Trip!

Lunch and shopping with the girls on 5th Ave. We're back from Naples and I am finally sharing a recap of our trip! We were there for 4...

In honor of heading to the beach tomorrow, I figured I'd share a round-up of all the shoes that I'm dying to wear for the warmer weather. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I've already scored some great flats at T.J.Maxx, but if you can't find the ones I've found, there are some similar ones in this post that you can get your hands on right now.

Top Shoe
Amber Heel

First Row
New Look Protect Block Heeled Sandals / Cadaudda Sandals / Hexen Sandals

Second Row
Dune Hydro Fuschia Barley There Heeled Sandals / Stecy Sandals / Lanie Jeweled Stacked-heel Sandals

Third Row
Dune Haro Reptile Pattern Pink Heeled Sandals / Evie Metallic Mid-heel sandals / Lara T-Strap City Sandals

Fourth Row
Elusion Pointed Toe Flats / Printed Pointy Flats / Ulirari Flats

Fifth Row
Eve Colorblock Sandals / Celia Sandals / Tasseled Sandals
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fashion - Thursday, March 20, 2014

Wish List // Shoe Closet

In honor of heading to the beach tomorrow, I figured I'd share a round-up of all the shoes that I'm dying to wear for the warmer we...

Happy Tuesday! What a whirlwind of a weekend! I've been kept busy with orders for Shop Proper Hunt (thank you all so much for your support!), along with a packed weekend of family and friends. It all started on Friday for me since I was getting my hair done at Hudson & Fouquet with Fern (love her), and then meeting Christine from Naptown Nannies, who is absolutely lovely & sweet, to give her the goodies she purchased from my shop. Then on Saturday, I tried out aerial yoga for the first time and dined al fresco afterwards to enjoy the beautiful day. And because I had been craving chocolate chip cookies for some time now, I decided to make a slightly different version. I've elaborated on these events below so scroll down for more!

Then on Sunday, we were visited by our good friends, David (aka the baby whisperer) & Lauren, for a Sunday hang-out type of day. Actually, it was more like us girls having girl-time (much needed) while the guys stay home and take care of Cora. It was wonderful to say the least. Lauren and I went to Nordstrom Rack and Old Navy and found too many things for our wallets to handle. She made out like a bandit at Nordstrom Rack while I did at Old Navy. A total win-win for us both.

While life can be full of joy & fun, it can also be fleeting & heart-breaking. We were reminded of this with the passing of Bentley, my brother-in-law's and his wife's dog. It came about so suddenly and unexpectedly and I think we are all still in shock that he's no longer here. Just like Emma, our dog, Bentley was Andrew and Trisha's first baby and to lose a family member so out-of-the-blue has really struck all of us to the core. I don't mean to pull a total 180 here and be a sad Sally, but I hope that hearing this story of life being lost without warning reminds you to hug your loved ones a little closer and to say that you love them because you just never know what might happen.

So as to not end my blog post on a sad note, here are photos that I took from this weekend. Enjoy!

My sister-in-law and I received gift certificates for Christmas to try out aerial yoga at Ridgely Retreat (which is an amazing yoga studio btw), and while I enjoyed the use of the fabric to help ease into certain poses, I wasn't really a fan of being inverted. Nausea and vertigo kind of took over any time I went upside-down and stayed with me for the rest of the day. Anyone else experience that with aerial yoga? And if so, how did you combat it because I still feel a little dizzy now and then.

We were feeling quite lightheaded and hungry after aerial yoga so what else is there to do but eat Mexican food outside on a gorgeous, sunny day?

A blogger friend of mine, Gaby, (gotta love Instagram for bringing people together), made these Oatmeal and Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookies and they looked so good that I had to try them out myself. Anything to allow me to eat chocolate chip cookies guilt-free is something I want to try out ASAP and these did not disappoint one bit!

Guess where these bags were from? Old Navy!! Don't they look like Coach bags? They really do, especially with those tassels, but at a fraction of the cost. And they feel like real leather too! I honestly don't know how I walked out without one of these since bucket bags are 'in' right now. Might have to go back...

Poppin' bottles with Popeyes! How we ended the night with our friends.

I've been trying to spruce up the piano in our living room. Because it's not a baby grand, it doesn't exactly have a wow factor type thing going on, so I want to try to make it look like a place where I didn't forget to decorate. This is what I've done so far. What do you guys think?

lifestyle - Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Weekend Recap // Yoga, Cookies, & Family

Happy Tuesday! What a whirlwind of a weekend! I've been kept busy with orders for Shop Proper Hunt (thank you all so much for your supp...

Exciting news guys. My Etsy shop, Shop Proper Hunt, has finally reopened after a few years!! I am so excited to be getting my feet back in the water with having the shop and I hope you guys are excited too because there are some fabulously amazing pieces that I've collected. Head on over there to see what's in and keep going back because I'll be adding to the shop almost daily. Amazing, right? Daily, folks. This time around, I'm going to keep the shop as stocked as I can because I want to keep finding unique, vintage pieces for you guys.

Another update of sorts is that we recently decided to remove the drapes we had in the living room and replace them with plantation shutters. I know, you're thinking I'm not the kind of girl who gets plantation shutters because I love fabric too much. It's true, it was a difficult compromise for me to make because I had to put a hold on the entryway wallpaper project. Gasp! Say it isn't so! Sad, I know. I'm still mourning a little. But honestly, I have to tell you that the plantation shutters are amazing and I really can't see anything else up on our windows. I love me some drapes, but the shutters really keep the room looking clean and bright. And they're vinyl so they're easy to clean, which in the case of Cora, is really the best thing to have in a room where we spend almost all of our time in when at home. Plus they look exactly the same as wood.

Here are some Before shots of the room. I should preface by saying that the Before and After pics don't look that dissimilar (a great testament to the plantation shutters), but just remember that without the shutters, we have absolutely no privacy.

Persistent artist or potential dancer?

And the After pics.

interiors - Thursday, March 13, 2014

Update // Shop Proper Hunt Is Now Open!

Exciting news guys. My Etsy shop, Shop Proper Hunt , has finally reopened after a few years!! I am so excited to be getting my feet back in...

It's that time of year again when the Gilt DC Warehouse Sale comes to town! I'll be checking it out this Friday night with a few of my blogger friends who I haven't seen in what feels like forever, and will be Instagram'ing my finds so follow along on Friday starting at 7pm.

Here are the details:

Location:
Long View Gallery (1234 9th St. NW Washington , DC 20001)

Times:
Friday, March 7, 2014 from 9:30-11:30pm
Saturday March 8, 2014 from 9am-11am, 11am-1pm, 1-3pm, 3-5pm

The Saturday 3pm-5pm is still available to purchase, but a lot of the other times are already sold out (don't worry, you can get on a wait list and they will contact you the minute a ticket opens up), so hurry and purchase a ticket!

Have fun shopping!!!

fashion - Thursday, March 06, 2014

Gilt City DC Warehouse Sale

It's that time of year again when the Gilt DC Warehouse Sale comes to town! I'll be checking it out this Friday night with a few o...

Hi guys! This week is proving to be a crazy week for me. Hopefully yours isn't like mine. I'm getting ready for my Etsy shop to re-open and preparing for it is really taking up a lot of my time. Luckily, I had a quick moment to bake yesterday (Cora actually allowed me) and wanted to share with you this amazingly easy recipe for Blueberry Crumb Bars.

I know there's probably a ton of recipes out there for this and they may all seem the same. While that may be true, I can promise you that this recipe right here is so good. Sooo good in fact that the 9"x12" pan I made yesterday is half gone. And it's only me and Steve eating it and Steve doesn't even have a sweet tooth like me! So you see, it's definitely one of the yummiest things I've ever baked. Granted, it's not the healthiest thing I've ever made, but isn't indulging what snow days are all about?

Recipe adapted from this one from all recipes.com.
Ingredients
Pastry
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan. I used a cooking oil spray and it worked perfectly.

In a large bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Add the salt and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter (pastry cutter will be much easier) to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly so don't be alarmed. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Spread the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I confess, that I ate a spoonful or two before it cooled. And it was worth burning my tongue a little. So worth it. Enjoy!

food - Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Recipes // Blueberry Crumb Bars

Hi guys! This week is proving to be a crazy week for me. Hopefully yours isn't like mine. I'm getting ready for my Etsy shop to re-...

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Wish List // Dreaming of Spring

Weekend Recap // Our Naples Trip!

Wish List // Shoe Closet

Weekend Recap // Yoga, Cookies, & Family

Update // Shop Proper Hunt Is Now Open!

Gilt City DC Warehouse Sale

Recipes // Blueberry Crumb Bars

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