WORK WHITES

Hi, hi, hi! I think you know that I work at a pretty relaxed work-wear company. We travel... a lot. So  our bosses kind of let us wear what's comfortable for our long hours. This summer I've been into the whites. 

Shirt: Speckled White Tee via Madewell/JCrew Outlet
Pants: The Jasper Skinny BCBGeneration via Gap Outlet Store  
Shoes: The Mindy Slip On from Frye Company (Gifted)
Glasses: Tortoise Shell Glasses via Polo.

Why do I love all white ensembles? Because I try to get ready for work in just under 12 minutes. & all white outfits always match. & you know what, it seems pretty purposeful. Like, "Yes. I planned this. Of course I put thought into what I was wearing today." Also, it's summer. & in the summer you can  wear all white. So you should.

The other reason I love this outfit is because I purchased almost every piece from a discount store. I got my shirt at a JCrew Outlet in Baltimore. The pants (how awesome are they?! Denim top & fo-leather bottom. Amazing!) were on clearance at The Gap Clearance Store [map]. Have you guys been there? The one by CVG Airport? Guys - they have some seriously amazing deals there. It's all slightly damaged - but hey, sometimes "slightly damaged" is seriously on trend.

My friend & co-worker Kelly was so awesome to run out into the parking lot with me after work one day. This is her debut into Photography for Magical Simplicity. How'd she do? I think it's great :)

Do you guys like all whites? I've seen some friends also be monochrome in white (Cincin-Natalie). It can be dressed up or down & worn all around. Well, for a few weeks more, I suppose. Summer is flying!!  Can't wait to see your ensembles :)

CINCINNATI'S BOW TIE CAFE

Bow Tie Cafe:  Coffee. Conversations. Cocktails.
Mon-Thurs 7a-9p / Fri 7a-10p / Sat 8a-10p / Sun 8a-8p

When I was looking for a new apartment I had one requirement: walking distance to an independent coffee shop. & I am very happy to tell you that I kept to my rule. Today I am going to show you around my new neighborhood joint, a Cincinnati original: Bow Tie Cafe.

Bow Tie Cafe is on the corner of St. Gregory & Pavillion. & just like everything in Mt. Adams, it was built on a hill. You literally step down into the cafe, which lends to a real "insiders' feel". Almost like a secret clubhouse, where you have to know it's there or you might miss it. But don't get the wrong idea! Because "exclusive club house" is furthest from how Bow Tie Cafe feels when you are actually there! The baristas are happy & warm & kind. The coffee is delicious. & they have other beverages too.. of the alcoholic variety. So Bow Tie is perfect, both if you'd like to take an offsite for work during  the day (coffee!) (& because work is so much better at a coffee shop, don't you agree?) (Which also reminds me - do any of you use Coffitivity?) & for after (cheers!)

There is definitely a working environment: huge tables, a terrific white board, lots of plugs and outlets (even on the terraced patio outside). You can feel the creativity brewing (pun intended) the moment you walk through the door. They describe their food menu as "casual bistro fare." Let me tell you right now - it is G.O.O.D. Evidence: my breakfast.

"If you wanna be somebody, you gotta rock a bow tie." - Kunta Littlejohn

But aside from all those amazing things, the best part about Bow Tie Cafe is the back story. Basically, it all began when owner Dhani Jones heard the above quote. The originator of that quote was Jones' good friend, Kunta Littlejohn, who was later diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Jones started Bow Tie Cafe & Bow Tie Cause in 2010 to spread Littlejohn's message. Straight from the website: "Essentially Bow Tie Cafe is based on the idea that if you rock the bow tie, then you are choosing to support something that is greater than you."

I've always prefered a man in a bow tie & now, with such a phenomenal story to quote, I surely will even more. Bow Tie Cafe, thanks for being such a welcoming neighbor :)

I'll be seeing you!

STYLING IN: BEACH WEAR

Ahhhh, Siesta Key, voted #1 Beach, USA. I love you so. I shared some photos with you from my trip, but today I want to show you the most ironic outfit of the week :)

 Shirt: Beach Shirt Madewell
Shorts: High-Waisted Shorts (Old) Thrifted
Shoes: Sperry Topsider.

I’ve always wanted to wear a shirt to the beach that says BEACH. (Okay, well, I’ve always wanted to do it since I bought this shirt that says BEACH on clearance at Madewell). The slight problem was that this shirt is a sweatshirt material & I don't know if you are aware, but Florida is H.O.T.

Luckily, if you wait til the end of your vacay, chances are you’re going to be burnt. & then your skin will be hot to the touch, but you're going to feel cold, no I don’t think this was sun poisoning. Well.. I only think that a little. But, guys, I’m fromOhio. Ohio..

Alas, back into The Studio with you BEACH wear! By the way, I'm hoping to score an invite to an end-of-summer beach trip, if anyone is offering :)

BUILDING A CORNER COFFEE BAR

I knew as soon as I walked into The Studio that it was the place for me. The only slight problem: in a world where everything is tiny, a tall-large-square kitchen table  doesn’t quite fit the bill.

Actually, it did fit. But it cut off an entire side of my U-Shaped Kitchen, creating an obstacle course to get to my morning coffee. & I don’t know about you, but I am in no condition to be doing an obstacle course before my morning coffee. None. At. All.

I’ve quickly learned since moving into The Studio, in a small space, If you can’t put it down, you need to go up!  So, the plan was to replace that hunky table with a wrap around coffee shop-type bar attached to the kitchen wall - making room for my brunch guests, but saving room on the floor.

Guys, before the Corner Coffee Bar, I had never built anything in my life. Not even an Ikea piece of furniture. That I can successfully eat breakfast while I browse the web at this corner coffee bar means 1) I danced around my kitchen doing the “OMG I'M BUILDING SOMETHING!!!!!!!” dance all along the way & 2) YOU can do this, too. If you wantJ

You will need:

• Three 1 inch x 12 inch by 8 ft. Common Boards (hint: get the ones with the coolest “tree” designs. Mine have amazing knots that I love.) *these were the measurements I needed for my kitchen specifically, you should measure your space before you go to the Hardware Store.
• Sand Paper
• Wood Glue
• C Clamps
• Five Wall Brackets
• Brick Screws + drillbit (did I mention my kitchen is brick?)
• Wood screws + screwdriver
• Level
• Finishing Wax
• Clean Rag/Old T-Shirt

Basically, I started with research (ever so responsibly). I have always loved this Standing Desk by A Beautiful Mess & I also found this DIY Window Cafe by Offbeat +Inspired. I used them as guidelines to build my Studio-Sized Corner Coffee Bar. It's pretty easy :)

Measure. Measure how much wood you will need for one length of the wall. I knew I wanted mine to be a foot wide (I'm working with a small space, remember. I'd go a little wider if you can). I measured the second wall (the short wall) length by hacking off a foot on one side to make what I call "an easy corner."

At this time you’ll also want to measure about how high you want your Coffee Bar. Base this on your stool height. It should be comfortable to sit, cross your legs & work at this height. Mine is 50 inches from the floor, 14 inches above the stool. Mark a line & level it out. This is also when I marked out where my brackets should go (spread evenly across the weight of the boards. NOTE: I got the biggest ones I could that didn't exceed the width of my boards. Also, I did not have to worry about finding studs, its a brick wall. Click here for tips if you're working with a non-brick wall.

Hardware Store. Guys, I went to the Hardware store three nights in a row for this DIY. No joke. (They thought I was hilarious.) Anyway, I learned you get 6 free cuts at Home Depot - so ask them to trim your two long boards to size (you’ll be stacking one atop the other). I had them cut the third board (for the short wall) straight in half.

You’re Home. Sand those babies down. Then it’s time to double layer them. Put the prettiest side of the board face down.  Layer it with wood glue, avoiding the edges by an inch because as wood glue dries it oozes & expands. Sandwich the boards. Then in two rows down the middle of the board, screw in about 15-20 screws. This is essentially extra support for the wood glue. Clamp & set aside. Repeat with the short boards.

Add the Brackets. Remember when you marked where your brackets should go? Screw them in!

Add the Boards.  Place your double layered long common board on the wall atop the brackets. LEVEL, LEVEL, LEVEL. Readjust the brackets if you need to. This step is so important. (Trust me.) (I really messed this one up at first.) (My mom had to rescue me.) Now, do the same with your short board, trying to make the corner as flush as possible. & level again. Then, screw the boards to the brackets!

Wax.  I got a Clear Finishing Wax, but you could also stain this. I happened to like the light wood look in my light kitchen. Let it dry completely before you put on another layer (don’t worry.. that only takes 15 minutes.)

& THAT’S IT!! Doesn't it look good? The best part is, now, even in a little Studio Apartment, I can still host a whole lot of Brunch :)

What do you think y’all? Are you going to try it? You can see the Before & After shot HERE.

JULY FAVES

JULY! A whole MONTH in my new apartment! A sometimes hot, sometimes cold (weird?!), sometimes stressful, sometimes relaxing, always amazing month. July taught me how many great people & things I have in my life. Here are some of my favorites:

You may know that I was on Lake Keowee with my four siblings & 16 cousins for the Fourth of July to celebrate the life of my Papa. It was an incredible weekend, full of a lot of emotion, a lot of memories, but above all, gratefulness. My family is so fun. & jumping into this lake (for I dunno, maybe the trillionth time?) is a perfect reminder of all I have.

I MOVED INTO MY APARTMENT!!!! It's probably 1/6 the size of my old house in Columbia Tusculum.. but it's mine. & so is this coffee corner. Yes, I did dedicate an entire corner of my apartment to coffee. p.s. Do you like the print? I made it :)

Because is there anything in the world that is better than donuts? Seriously? It's cake. For breakfast. omgznommmm.

It was Teddy's birthday this month, & we celebrated at Bunbury Music Festival. & even though it was pouring down rain, I found some great new bands (Saint Seneca, ZZ Ward & Young the Giant), put on a ton of press-on tattoos, & enjoyed being a super hipster with some really awesome people for a day.

Then I spent a week on... VaCAtiOn!!! Recharging & relaxing & resetting & spending time to work on the blog & read & run & omg it was perfect. You can click here  to learn more :)

THIS SONG. It came out on July 29 & by the 31st I owned it. It is SO fun. It reminds me of the nineties (Lady Marmelade) & also of Great Gatsby (I don't know why!). Guys. Dannnnnng.

Lastly - it was National Ice Cream Month! I can't even tell you how many times I celebrated in the past 365 days. More than half, most likely. I showed you my favorite Cincinnati Ice Cream joints & you bet your bottom dollar I'll have more coming to you in the future. Ice Cream & I... well, we're in it for the long haul. 

Anyway, I love you guys. I hope you had a great July. & I can't wait for August... our last month of summer (what the heck!?!?). Let's make it magical :)