About Autumn

As I may have mentioned before, the summer is my season of preference and great joy. I love the flip flops, the pool, the sunshine, the produce...

This year I have been struggling during the change to autumn. I have been mourning the summer, and a slight dread of winter is tickling my brain stem. However I do believe in rejoicing in what I have, so I am going to fight it with a list of glorious, beautiful, or tasty things about the fall! Will you help me write this list? What else is wonderful about autumn?

1. Apples.
I recommend Honeycrisps and a new breed we discovered at the farmers market : Newtown Pippins.

From GeorgiannaLane

2. Boots.
Casual chic! Or formal with edge! That's the glory of boots...there are so many kinds.

Image from Spell and the Gypsy

3. Jogging outside.
Fresh air, cooler temperatures, no humidity.

Image from 123rf.com

4. Halloween costumes. 

Adult dress up? I'm all over it.

Image from thevillagevoice.com

5. The heater.

 In the morning the heater is on. I get out of bed, grab breakfast and a blanket, and sit directly atop the floor vent...trapping all the warm air around me. This is my cold weather morning comfort ritual, and I do louve it.

Image from sleepyfawn

6. Floppy Sweaters.

 There is nothing as comfy as a floppy warm sweater.

Maybe not quite this floppy...but still. Image from heavensorchid

..... What else friends? :)

Something Foxy for Friday

Back at the beginning of the year, I posted about the rise in fox designs. At that point, it was merely something I noticed, but I have grown into an active participant. Now I have a "thing" for foxes.

Though they will never surpass elephants and squids (my favorite animals), foxes have breached my Top 5. This ring sealed the deal :

Bronze Fox Ring by Michaeltatom on Etsy.com, $120

The Bronze Fox Ring encapsulates the essence of a fox (the ears, nose, and tail) but manages to be so simple. Christmas list! Christmas list!

Here's the recap...I had a ton of fun this week!

I finally launched my digital design portfolio!

Awesome guest post from Lauren Dixon about savvy and stylish traveling.

Apple cider donuts, hooray!


Everyone have a foxy weekend!

Oh Yeah Apple Cider Doughnuts

Yep. Yum.

I used this great recipe from SmittenKitchen.com because, as mentioned in her post, the apple cider is reduced to enhance the cider flavor within the dough. Doughnuts are a lot of work to make, but oh sooooo good in the end. These were outside crispy and inside softy.

My additional comments after using this recipe : 

1. My batch yielded about 30 doughnuts though I also used approximately a 3" cutter (SmittenKitchen estimates 18). Beware you might get more than you planned. Yes, it's a good problem to have with donuts.
2. If you don't own a doughnut cutter, use what's around the house. I used a jam jar for the shape and an Airborne® tube for the holes!
3. Double dip all of the glazed donuts. Dip, cool, dip again.
4. Chopped walnuts are a tasty addition to the glazed variety.
5. The freezer and fridge time between steps is necessary, just trust me. 

I want to try this again soon...this time with caramel or maple frosting.

Pack like a European | A general guide to sanity

Since I first met Lauren Dixon in college, she has become a globe trotting fashionista. Born in the States, she now lives in Rome with her British husband. Lauren writes a lovely blog about the simple, beautiful, and inspiring things in life, simplysemplicita.com.

In this post, Lauren shares some tips on traveling with style and effectiveness! The girl has got it down. (This is definitely a post I will be referencing again...you know for all my future Euro-travels!)

Lauren thanks so much for sharing your wisdom! Be sure to check out more from Lauren on her blog (Note, she has a giveaway going on right now!)

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ThisIsGlamous.com

Everyone has a packing personality. But there still is a universal and collective exhale after hauling that clunky large suitcase and flopping it on the bed to start the packing process. For some, this is a long and meticulous process which revolves around phone stalking a family member or close friend to get advice on every. single. thing. Others wait until the last minute, throw everything in, and say a quick prayer that they have enough nickers for the entire 2 week vacation abroad. (These people always make me chuckle going through security when they open up their bags for investigation.)

If you're planning a trip abroad or just want to sharpen your packing skills, my hope is that these quick tips will make the packing process easier to navigate. (Or maybe you're one of those poor souls on the receiving end of said "packing panic-ers". In that case, I'm sorry.)

A side note: This guide really is for Western Europe. Each culture (or set of cultures) has its own set of best practices, so I'm focussing on where I travel the most.

First, to get you in the mood, watch this clip on how to dress like a Parisian. (Oh how I love this clip. Particularly how annoyed my British husband gets when I repeat the words "uhh.. men's blay-zur" in a thick french accent over. and over. and over.)

Just as Inès de la Fressange says in this clip, "brilliant basics are key to a great look" and great packing. What the "basics" are depend on the season you'll be travelling to Europe, but here are a few guidelines:

• No matter how long your trip is, only pack clothing for 7 days. This is a huge miss for a lot of Americans travelling in Europe. Europeans wear the same thing over and over, just reinventing the basics. They know what looks good on them and just keep rockin' it out. This is great because you can pick your best or favorite things to take along and won't break your back carrying your suitcase in the process.
• Great accessorizing is the weapon against wardrobe boredom. If you're planning on wearing the same two blazers the week you're there, bring several different chunky necklaces, hats, or scarves to change things up. Going heavy on accessories and light on clothes makes everything lighter anyway.
• Pack a small bottle of detergent. I've just started doing this and haven't regretted it. This means I can give a quick hand wash to a basic and have it ready for the next day. You can buy refillable bottles and bring it along.
• Leave your jogging shoes at home. Nothing says "American" like a good pair of white tennies. If you'd like a more casual and comfortable feel, bring some Converse sneakers or other street shoes.
• Bring a handbag that zips. Unfortunately pick pocketing does happen. And not matter how hard you try, you will most likely still be a target. Be smart but leave any sort of "clip around your waist or hang around your neck apparatus at home." After all, this is just Europe, people.
• Bring something to go out on the town. I always travel on a tight budget, but still am a firm believer that food is essential to toursim.  If you're also in this camp, skimp on lunch by buying food from a supermarket or farmers market and save up for a nice meal out. No matter if you're a splurge-one-night or out-every-night-type of traveller, make meals part of your experiences. Return to your room and freshen up before your 8pm (or later) meal. Get chic! Bring something fabulous to wander the streets in at night. You won't be overdressed, trust me.

As you can tell, my mantra really is pack light and simple. You'll be glad you did and you'll be more like a European anyway!

I hope you've enjoyed this quick set of suggestions. Read more travel guides and general celebrations of all things simple on my blog, www.simplysemplicita.com!

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Digital Portflio Launch

Oh happy day after a long night! (What is it about design? I always do my most efficient work when the world is sleeping.)

I have finally launched my design portfolio online. Hip Hip Hooray! If a girl is going to do some freelance, she's got to be accessible! This is the first big step of many toward a more active freelance career. Again I say, Hip Hip Hooray!

Please check it out and give me feedback... Let's consider this the Alpha version, as I'm sure there are updates and adjustments to make. I still plan to ad a bio/about image.

Index Page

Product Design Album

After some contemplation, I chose to use a product called Viewbook instead of building my site from scratch. Reasons included :

1. Viewbook reduced the time I needed to complete the project from two weeks+ to one weekend. Viewbook allowed me to select, resize, and organize my portfolio within their platform, instead of building my own coding. 
2. Viewbook has a simple, clean format that dynamically showcases images.
3. The interface is very easy to learn and use. 
4. Viewbook offers three levels of product with advancing features and flexibility. My website is under the most basic of plans for now. The options for layout, font, colors, etc. are quite limited, but the price is good, and the option to upgrade remains. 
5. The viewer is Flash based, so the images are harder to copy.

There are so many online tools, all with different strengths and advantages. This article from webdistortion.com has a great list of online portfolio tools that guided me in my selection.

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me to move forward with all of this!

Like I said above, feedback is welcome!