Winterize Your Wardrobe

How to Repurpose Your Summer Clothing. . .

The worst part about living in New York is quite frankly the closet space (unless your famous or just dripping in money) you are left to the most measly sized of closets. I was dreading the move here for this particular reason form the very beginning. Given back in Kansas I was livin' the dream. I had four closets and one was just purely dedicated to my shoes! It took me ages to sort through everything and after many headaches, and a few tears I got rid of about 2/3 of my closet and about 1/2 of my shoes. . . although a few extras might have snuck their way here. I swear I have no idea how that happened. . . When I arrived to New York I thought the boy was going to kill me we had my clothes coming out of our ears. They were EVERYWHERE! And he only recently discovered a few weeks ago I've been storing sweaters in our coffee bar drawers. . . oops. 

What felt like months, I finally had everything situated and home for all my treasures. I even managed to bag up another round of donate items that I couldn't part with in Kansas. I had to 'divide' my closet, which I haven't had to do since I lived in a little shoebox of a flat in London. Where I put all my winter clothes in tubs and stuff them under the bed and leave all the valuable hanging space and dresser drawers for everyday things and summer goodies. Well, as the leaves have been turning and the air around us keeps getting more crisp I've had the dreaded task of switching out my light, bright summer clothing with my bulky, heavy winter outfits. I fiiiinnallly just finished playing musical 'tubs' with my clothes and our bedroom has ceased to look like a littered dressing room.

This new divided closet brought about a new problem however. Before, in Kansas all my clothes were on display and readily available so I could mix and match as I pleased. Now, the likeliness of me digging under my bed to find that 'one skirt' that matches perfectly with my jacket is well- None. So, I decided to hold back any summer clothes I saw winter potential in, and proceeded to pack up all the clothes that screamed- it's 100 degrees! 

I love mixing and matching clothes that you might only have seen one purpose for, it's like a favourite hobby of mine. It's a great way to get extra milage out of the clothes you already have and make new outfits you might never have thought of. They tend to end up being some of my favourite outfits. 

Here's some examples of how you can get creative 

and get those extra wears out of the items you love!

Don't be afraid to add pops of colour to your cooler weather clothes. This is one of my favourite summer dresses, it's bright and cheery yellow stripes are sure to put you in a good mood. I paired it with a muted gray sweater so the yellow wasn't too overwhelming. I belted the top to keep that cinched waist of the dress I love. Add your favourite ankle boots, a chunky necklace and you're ready to go! 

You'd think this light weight turquoise crop top had seen the last of it's days when the weather veered south of 80, but think again! I gave it a whole new life by pairing it with a heavy long-sleeve white top, dark wash denim jeans and blinged it out with some jewelry and fun suede knee-high boots to make this a perfect go-to for any causal day. 

This backless summer dress lends itself to the fall colour palette making it a simple transition to your winter wardrobe. I pulled out the plum colour from the print and added some tights, threw on a solid chunky knit cream sweater and added a thin braided belt to add some more texture to make a shape out of a bulky sweater! I added a fun military inspired boots to keep that edgy chic look and one of my favourite vintage clutches. My back is covered from the cold viola, now I can wear this dress all year long. 

Key Items to Look for:

•  Already have a fall colour palette (plums, deep reds, browns, oranges, tans, blacks, dark greens)
• Can easily be paired with a long sleeve shirt to give it a new life
• A fun dress that matches a sweater you own

Easy Add-Ons to Instantly Winterize:

• tights, tights, tights! 
• Winter boots
• A great sweater or awesome jacket

What Are You Waiting For? Go Winterize Your Wardrobe!

A Little Thing Called Brunch

It Isn't Breakfast, It Isn't Lunch. It's Brunch. 

Had you asked me a few months prior I would have told you Brunch was something left in the 90's, or something that older people do. In the midwest the rare occasion brunch even comes up it is as a family thing after church. Once in a blue moon. Maybe. In New York City brunch is a very different story. A favourite pastime enjoyed on either coast that hasn't seemed to reach the center of America just yet.

 Forget old timers, brunch is a time to don your high heels and put on your best lipstick. Brunch is a time for mimosas, a time to catch up with your friends, de-stress about your long work week and a time to indulge in your breakfast favourites without having to wake up early for it. Brunch is fantastic. 

I had two wonderful brunch dates this weekend! The first on Saturday was with the boy at home, we traded in our brunch best for our PJs and cooked up one of our breakfast favourites-mini omelets! 

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it for a quick and easy breakfast. 

They are also great to save for a grab-n-go morning bite on your way out the door!

Mini Omelets

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• I love these because it's a great way to use up whatever you have in your fridge! This time I used tofu turkey, mushrooms, spinach, onion and freshly grated cheese. Dice all the ingredients up you want to use into small pieces. Mix it up and try different combinations. Here are a few tried and true combinations the boy and I enjoy:
• Spinach, feta, mushroom and cherry tomato
• Cheddar cheese, tofu sausage pieces and onion
• Mushroom, green & red pepper, tomato, onion and colby jack cheese
• For the meat eaters you could try cut up breakfast sausage, bacon pieces or ham!
• Mix 5 eggs with a pinch of salt, pepper, a touch of basil and thyme (for a healthier alternative just use the egg whites!) A lot of similar recipes call for an egg per omelet but I think it's unnecessary extra calories.
• Coat a muffin tin with vegetable oil (or coconut oil for you uber conscious)
• Fill the bottom of each circle with your chosen ingredients to about 3/4 full
• Pour the beaten eggs and spices over the top of each until about half way full
• Put the muffin tins in the oven for 20-25 minutes
• Pop out and enjoy or let cool then wrap them up individually to use through out the week!

Sunday I indulged in a more New York traditional brunch date with my old friend. Here's the brunch outfit I put together. A muted dust pink polka dot skirt, a low back three quarter length cream crochet top with a turquoise drop necklace and coordinating flats. I threw on a braided belt to cinch in the waist, a gray clutch and I was ready to brunch!

We met on 39th and 6th ave at the Refinery Hotel, right in the middle of the garment district and ate downstairs at Parker & Quinn (or P&Q). It was a cute little restaurant with black leather booths and crystal ball chandeliers and classic New York City decorum. The perfect setting for the ultimate NYC Sunday brunch. The service was a little slow but it was worth the wait. I had a yummy mimosa I had been craving, a perfect omelet with delicious golden potatoes and toast I didn't even get to. The restaurant was speckled with both hotel guest, new york brunchers and a table next to us of tourists (easy to spot with NYC tourist books). I loved the atmosphere of this entire hotel, it was very luxurious and modern. After finishing up brunch we headed to the 13th floor for the Refinery Rooftop. 

The rooftop was my favourite spot of the day! Had the sun been hitting us it would have been the absolute perfect time. It was slightly chilly but the view made it worth it. They have the whole rooftop decked out with outdoor sofas, benches and even a sofa swing, complete with lighted trees and flowers.  It was unusually empty (thanks to the game) and we enjoyed the perfect spot almost completely to ourselves! I had a 'pumpkin patch' in honor of the fall and my love for all things pumpkin! This has quickly become a prime spot for after hours during the work week since their opening, but I highly recommend it for a nice drink in this cool weather over the weekends as well!

I am loving the New York Brunch scene and know it's definitely going to become part of my usual schedule (most weeks). Can't wait to try out different recipes and find new places to much for brunch!