Summer Scarves!

Sissies-

I have been noticing scarves popping up all over the place, but more importantly in MANY different ways. I thought you ladies would love some scarf inspiration because Lord knows the Dawson's love themselves a scarf.

Head Scarf/Turban:
 

image via late afternoon



image via streetfsn



image via whatiwore

Scarf as a Bracelet



image via streetfsn

Scarves aren't just for the ladies:



image via the sartorialist



image via streetfsn

 

Scarves are definitely the perfect accessory for the SF summer. Just untie your turban and you have a shrug. I love when items can multitask ;)

My Next Purchase

Dear Sissies-

Are you out there? How are your vacations treating you? I  must admit I am a little jealous... Kathleen is preparing to gallivant around Europe while Christina is touring Maine in a Bentley. What I am doing you ask... staring at a pile of papers in my dark hole of an desk (not to be dramatic or anything).

As I sit here jealous of your vacations, I decided that I am going to self soothe with a little retail therapy. Have you guys heard of Cambridge Satchel Company?  They make the most amazing neon bags!

What color do you think I should get?

xoxo- from SF

Taste the Rainbow

Sissies~

I loved this cover from Elle France. It completely illustrates this summer's biggest trend: BRIGHTS!

Lots of love from SF

Fashionably Bombed

Sissies-

In most cases, I am not the one to bring food to a party. Instead, I always add my name to the alcohol list. Which is why I am so excited about the Good sisters! Their blog provides delicious recipes for fun cocktails. The next party I attend I will definitely be mixing up a Sparkle-Tini (above)!

 

 

Aren't these girls just darling?! You know I am a sucker for a sister team :)

As Grampy says "it's 5 o'clock somewhere", and I think their recipes are the perfect pick me up after a long day of work ;) So go ahead and try Fabulous-Tini and I can guarantee your day will get a whole lot better :)

xoxo
From SF

Pancakes and Bacon in the North Woods

Sisters,

This lovely location is where we spent three days with our good friends Megan and Mike and their beautiful daughter Ruthie. We had a good time thanks to their unbelievable hospitality, great conversation that led to some serious laughs, and delicious food. Since high school Megan has made cooking look effortless and with consistently perfect results. This weekend was no different, she dazzled us with her blueberry pancakes....and with a baby in her arms no less.

Blueberry Pancakes

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3-1/2 cups of vegetable oil (use more than 1/3 and less than a 1/2 - it will be a game-time decision)
• 2 cups milk (2% or whole milk preferred)
• Blueberries (fresh preferred, if frozen use the large blueberries and defrost before adding)

Fork fluff the flour, this is crucial for the success of pancakes. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Separately, mix together eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Add the dry and liquid bowls together, mix in the defrosted blueberries.

Bacon Prepared in the Oven

• Line a baking sheet with tin foil
• Lay the bacon strips with a small amount of space between each piece
• Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Flip at 20 minutes.

I am not a big bacon eater, but I have been converted. The bacon came out perfectly crispy and the cleanup was WAY easier than bacon on the stove.

The beautiful house, perfect Wisconsin lake and unbelievable food all paled in comparison to the main attraction. Please meet Ruth Littell...have you EVER seen a cuter baby?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day Daddy-o!

i love this picture. hahah. mustache + budweiser =  dad in the 80's

We are sorry that not all of us can be there to tell you in person how much we love you! So we are hoping this blog post will do the trick :)

We are lucky to have you as our dad. Our childhood was spent filled with days of bike rides, indian princesses, games (softball, basketball, lacrosse...), swims in Lake Michigan, sledding, snowball fights, and canoe trips. We feel blessed to have a father who was there for every birthday, dance recital, game, play, parent/teacher meetings, and the list can go on. Most importantly, you were there for us in the small moments. The skinned knees, the broken bones, the breakups, the bad test grade, the great test grade, the fights with siblings. Our lives were shaped in those moments we shared with you. We love you pops! Thank you!

We love you!

Friday Favs

Sissies-

Here are some great links that helped me get through this workweek :)

Thanks to my trusty WWD (Women's Wear Daily) subscription, I found out about a cool new company. For a mere $10 a month, Birchbox will send you a curated box of luxury beauty samples!  I love that you can try out the latest and greatest then decide if you want shell out your hard earned $$$! I will definitely be signing up :)

The darling Taylor (Sterling Style) is the founder


























I have added a new site to my daily reads. Glitter Guide is one of my favorite tumblr pages, but now they have a full website up and running! Check it out! Not to mention, my girl Blair  is featured :)

Elle Fanning via Marie Claire

Lastly, I leave you with this thought: Is it wrong to be envious of a 13 year old? I have been swooning over this picture all week. The hair, the outfit, the doll-like face. Darn you, Fanning girls.
Have a great weekend.

XOXO from the city by the bay

1/2 Homemade Fruit Tart

Hi sisters,
Here are those yummy tarts I was telling you about on Tuesday. When my friends over at Parker, etc. and Lulu Grace Vintage told me about their trunk show, I volunteered to make some tasty treats for the occasion. And then the days got away from me (lots of work, Nathan's cousin from Hong Kong visiting, a weekend trip to Minneapolis, and then a visit by Nathan's siblings) and I found myself in the grocery store at 9pm on Friday trying to figure out what to make. When I saw the fresh blackberries and raspberries in the produce isle I remembered this quick, easy, and smart looking dessert my friend taught me how to make.

I promise, it's easy and looks way harder to make than it actually is :)

Graham Cracker Crust Fruit Tart

Ingredients
Topping
- 1 package of fresh blackberries
- 1 package of fresh raspberries
- 2 tablespoons of apricot preserves

Filling
- One 8 ounce package of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup of heavy cream
*I said this was an easy and good looking dessert, not a healthy one

Crust
- Pre-made graham cracker crusts (for this I chose the smaller crusts)
- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Step 1.
Melt the chocolate chips in a heat proof bowl over simmering water.
As the chips are melting, add in 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream.
Stir until chocolate is melted.
Using a spoon, drip the melted chocolate into the bottom of each individual graham cracker crust.
Spread the chocolate across the bottom of the crust and up onto the sides with the back of the spoon.
This should create a thin layer of chocolate coating on each crust.
Place the crusts in the freezer.

Step 2.
Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar and beat the cream cheese and sugar together.
Slowly mix in the cup of heavy cream until it is fluffy and smooth.
Pour the filling into each of the cups when the chocolate is fully hardened.

Step 3.
Arrange the blackberries and raspberries on top.
Place the 2 tablespoons of apricot jam and 1 tablespoon of water into a saucepan.
Heat the jam slowly, stirring frequently with a small whisk.
When the jam has thinned to a liquid, remove from stove.

Step 4.
Drizzle the thinned jam over the fruit on each tart.
Place finished tarts in the refrigerator to chill.

Step 5.
Serve and enjoy!

Newest Shoe Shape

Sissies-

I would love to know your opinions on the newest shoe shape: THE FLATFORM (think a flat meets a platform). When I first saw this trend on the S/S 2011 runways, I wasn't quite so sure about it. Let's be real, even Chanel makes mistakes now and again (think Fall 2010: The Wookie) BUT I have actually warmed up to this new shoe!

1) Tinley Road
2) Theodora and Callum
3) Jeffrey Cambell
4) Rag and Bone
5) Elizabeth and James
What are your thoughts? Do or Don't?

xoxo from SF

PARKER ETC

Sisters,
My friend Amy just launched her blog, PARKER ETC, along with her new jewelry and home decor venture! She kicked off this new project with a trunk show co-hosted by Lulu Grace Vintage at her home (remember her and her husband's wall done by Dana?). When Amy moved into Eric's apartment after their dreamboat wedding last October, her true DIY nature was exposed. She was whipping up book wreathes, making cake plates out of vintage glasses, and taking weekly trips to the hardware store to fasten her newest necklace out of thingy ma-bobs (i.e. all of those small trinkets you find in boxes near the counter). Check out her blog post on the trunk show here.

I made some fruit tarts for the occasion - recipe to come on Thursday - and a few other friends made some tasty treats. Wine, sweets, and beautiful things! Who could ask for anything more?

Alright sisters ... let's take a page from Amy's book, get it together, and figure out what our new venture is going to be :)

Pictures by Eric Ryan Anderson

Sweet Tea for Me

Last week was a warm one in Chicago. To beat the heat I traded my coffee addiction with a need for iced tea, and more recently sweet tea. I highly recommend the sweet tea at Lovely and at Cafe Streets, both of which are in Wicker Park and deserve an upcoming blog post all of their own. My goal for the week is to get in the kitchen and make my own batch of sweet tea. I am going to try this easy recipe and I will come back with my recommendations.

The recipe with the most stars on allrecipes.com:

1 pinch baking soda

2 cups boiling water

6 tea bags

3/4 cup white sugar

6 cups cool water

Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce, heat-proof, glass pitcher. Pour in boiling water, and add tea bags. Cover, and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

Remove tea bags, and discard; stir in sugar until dissolved. Pour in cool water, then refrigerate until cold.


In true Dawson fashion, I have spent more time looking up glassware and dreamy tablesettings, than looking up recipes. Don't you think that if I serve sweet tea in this pitcher and drink it out of this glass it would taste like heaven no matter what recipe is used?

Anthropologie

Anthropologie



Have a great week!

Beauty Secrets

Sissies,

You know my love for LC, right?

in my head, i totally look like this

Well she has an amazing how-to website called the Beauty Department!  I don't know why it has taken me so long to find this site! You have to check it out! There are great tutorials on there!

The only downside of the site is that I am constantly reminded how much I want her life (waaaa).

XOXO love from the bay

Rings

Sissies-

I found the most adorable rings from Catbird, thanks to my good friend Jillian!

I think that they would make ADORABLE gifts. I especially like the rosegold heart ring :)

Lots of love from SF

Continuing with Color

Sisters,

I have become OBSESSED with this pink blazer from Zara:

This shade of pink, expecially paired with navy blue, calls out to my inner prep...and I love it! My summer wardbrobe is filled with basic sundresses, tailored jeans and lots of  white v-neck t-shirts. This blazer is the perfect pick me up to create structured office options or a preppy date-night outfit. In case pink doesn't float your boat, here are a few of my other bright blazer tempations from Zara.

Happy Monday from summertime Chi!

Friday Favorites

Well sisters,
It's officially summer here in NYC. You know my love/hate relationship with this city's summer. LOVE: tan skin, sun kissed streaks in my hair, fresh fruit at farmer's markets. HATE: the smell of hot garbage and pee wafting through the streets, sweating in my work clothes on the way to the subway, and roasting in my cothes inside the subway. I love New York, don't get me wrong, but when mid-June, July, and August role around I would like to run away to the nearest small town with a swimmable lake. The good news is, this year, we are running away!!

But, until then, here are some of the things that have helped me suffer through NYC summer's in the past...

J Crew bathing suits

We have been rocking these bad boys since high school and the thought of a new fresh one and the Long Island Railroad out to the beach every Saturday makes me happy, so happy I barely notice the stench of fish innards leaking out of the trash bags on the street on the way to the LIRR.

This year I have my eye on their retro dot pattern...

Straw hats

A good straw hat is a frizzy haired girls life saver. I can plop this on top of my head with any outfit and slyly cover the birds nest of tangled/sweaty/curly mess on the top of my head, while displaying the not as messy/stringy/but can be described as "beachy"/waves at the bottom of my hair.

Love this one from madewell...

Moisturizer

I never leave home without slathering on my trusty Oil of Olay with UV protection (I like tan skin, a wrinkled and leathery face, not so much) and some rose salve for my lips...

A good daily read
And my new daily summer blog read is my friend's insanely hilarious Be Better Blog. If you have a brain and the part of you brain that finds things funny is working, you must read this now.

Here's her take on swimsuits, getting summer ready, and the ever hot topic of mandals.

Love you!! From the city that sweats garbage from it's pores...

Pan Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Sisters,
I have recently discovered I like brussels sprouts! Especially when they are fried up with some bacon, now that I think about though, I like anything fried up with bacon. Here's a quick and easy side dish for you...

Ingredients

- 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1 cup of onions diced

- 5 strips of bacon

 
Directions

Step 1.
Cook bacon over medium heat in a large pan
When done, remove from pan and place on cutting board

Step 2.
Add the diced onions to the bacon grease, let simmer for 2 minutes
Add Brussel's sprouts and butter, stir until pale golden color
Crumble bacon strips on top, stir and let simmer for 2 more minutes

Step 3.
Serve and EAT.


 

Love from NYC :)
P.S. How cute is the container that the sprouts came in?

Runway to Real Life

Sissies-

I loved the simplicity of Jil Sander 2011 Spring Summer line. Here is the way that I will be wearing it this summer...

                                       tibi via shopbop                               zara                                              zara

Don't forget to top it off with your favorite fuchsia lipstick!

xoxo
SF Sista