outfits: a day at the races

a while back me, the boyf and the fath went to the vintage car races.  i grew up around classic cars and always look forward to a trip to the race track.  in typical seattle fashion, it rained that day.  half the time we had to seek refuge under the vendor tents because a downpour would come out of nowhere.  made for some less than fast racing but an enjoyable time regardless.  however i did bring a jacket with a hood so i was in luck.  

later we had some pints and pizza at airways brewing then stopped at my favorite mexican store for snacks.  they started selling fresh coconut water and it was delicious.  

and yup, this black sweater is in heavy rotation.  boring i know.  but!  i didn't have to wear it this past weekend because it was 90 degrees two whole days in a row.  how spoiled are we.  

wearing:

sweater ~ zara {similar}

shorts ~ ae

boots ~ target

jacket ~ lacoste

bag ~ see by chloe

tights ~ drugstore

sunnies ~ nordstrom

xo alicia

lusting: jenni kayne pre-fall 2012

old habits die hard.  i know i was just saying i'm ready for a wardrobe change then i come across jenni kayne's pre-fall line.  all i have to say is dayum.  any and all are welcome to join my closet.  and yes i'd even wear her infamous flats with socks just like in photo 2.

i don't want summer to end, but i'm starting to get real excited for fall.

shop the collection now.

photos via quiet continental 

outfits: walking the dag

i'm a creature of habit.  i like my routines and i get anxious when things don't go according to plan.  fortunately this works out for george since he (and most dogs i assume) like routines.  one thing that george and i do every day after work is go for a long walk.  rain or shine.  doesn't matter we have to do it.  since the sun decides to finally come out around the time we go for walks i've been living in these aerie shorts.  they're so comfy and the more i wear them the more they stretch to that perfect amount of bagginess.  and they have spacious pockets!  key for caring all those puppy treats and poop bags.  nothing worse than getting caught not picking up your pup's poo.  fact's of life people.  life can't be glamorous all the time.  

lets say my rainy day walking gear isn't as fashionable.  i look more like your typical seattleite.  :)

wearing:

tee ~ vintage via dad

shorts ~ aerie

shoes ~ van's with custom laces

xo alicia

diy: studded ballet slippers

 

the boyf went to a baseball game the other night which means it's girls night in at hq.  voss came over for some champagne and boxed mac and cheese and we started watching revenge.  it has bambi from secret diary of a call girl so we were already sold.  let me tell you, this show is bananas.  we got through the first 3 episode and there is more drama than the first season of gossip girl.  

voss brought over her studding gear or as she likes to call it "punk rock knitting kit" and she let me toughen up my ballet slippers.  needless to say i got flack from my ballet teacher last night.  but i think she secretly likes them.

you could do this to any pair of flats really or if you want some fancy slipper for around the house you could do it to a pair of real ballet slipper like i did.  if you do go this route, they only  have a bit of suede on the bottom so don't wear them out of the house.

item you'll need:

ballet slippers or flats

studs

leather/fabric punch

prong press

*you can get a studding starter kit here from studs & spikes.

directions:

arrange the studs in the order you want them and press them in to make indents with the prongs, you'll have to repeat this step for each stud.  punch a hole through the fabric with the hole puncher then pop in the stud.  flip shoe over to bend in the prongs.  make sure you bend them in deep so they won't scratch the tops of your feet.

or if you're too lazy you could always buy a pair from bonadrag. :)

xo alicia

recipe: homemade bibicaffe

one of my favorite summer time drinks is iced coffee. and the creme de la creme of iced coffee is bibicaffe. it's a delightful sweetened carbonated espresso drink imported from italy. heck even in the dead of winter i'd drink one they're so good. sadly the a couple of years ago the only distributed lost the rights to import it. tragic yes, but being a good hoarder i stashed a 40 oz size bottle for a rainy day. lately there have been some copy cats popping up at the specialty grocery store in my hood but none compare to the original. i had some soda water that was going to waste so i decide to start getting crafty. this is where my years of being a barista come into play.

i used:
6 oz iced coffee concentrate {this one from the ny times is my fav}
4 oz soda water
honey syrup {its the lazy person's simple syrup}
half & half
lots of ice

directions:
here's where it gets real complicated.  fill your glass with ice, if you planned ahead you should fill your ice cube tray with leftover coffee to make coffee ice cubes, pour in coffee concentrate then soda water.  if i'm making regular iced coffee i usually do equal parts coffee and water but for some reason wit the soda water i feel like you need a bit more.  top with honey syrup and half & half.  pull out your favorite book or turn on your favorite program and you're good to go.

hope you're hooked, i know i am!

xo alicia