Quote of the Day

"You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough."

- Mae West

* image via Pretty Stuff

Wanderlust

Vogue.com never ceases to amaze me with its daily features that cover far more than fashion. For instance, today's feature was all about the great (summer) escape and profiled various tastemakers' summer travel adventures. Ones that caught my eye were designer Tina Lutz's travels through Southeast Asia, Vogue's Special Events Director Sylvana Ward Durrett's jaunt to Italy, and designer Nicole Miller's envy-inducing Sag Harbor retreat.

* images via Vogue.com

Quote of the Day

"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess."

- Oscar Wilde

* image via Crush Cul de Sac

Perfectly Pink

Based on the number of posts I've dedicated to the color pink, I'm sure I seem like a fanatic for the color. While I love pink as much as the next girl, it's not actually my favorite color. But I always seem to have a stockpile of beautiful pink-filled photos, so without further ado a series of perfectly pink photos.

* images via Crush Cul de Sac and Pretty Stuff

Quote of the Day

"I wish we could spend July by the sea, browning ourselves and feeling water-weighted hair flow behind us from a dive. I wish our gravest concerns were the summer gnats. I wish we were hungry for hot dogs and dopes, and it would be nice to smell the starch of summer linens and the faint odor of talc in blistering summer bath houses... We could lie in long citoneuse beams of the five o'clock sun on the plage at Juan-les-Pins and hear the sound of the drum and piano being scooped out to sea by the waves."

- Zelda Fitzgerald

* image via Crush Cul de Sac

Yum Yum: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I'm a sucker for a good, old-fashioned, chewy oatmeal cookie (bonus points if there are no raisins!). That's why I jumped for joy when I saw Piece of Cake's recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cake. Because it's basically an oatmeal cookie in cake form, I'm sure it will be 100% devoid of any gross crunchiness that really has no place in an oatmeal cookie (in my humble opinion). Here's the recipe. Bake and enjoy!

For the cake:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon bourbon, Scotch or other complimentary liquor (see note)
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup rolled oats (not steel cut or quick-cooking)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups boiling water
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the cream cheese frosting:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
5 1/2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the liquor, then with 2 tablespoons of flour to evenly coat the chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, place the oats and butter. Pour the boiling water over the top. Allow to sit for about 30 seconds, then stir until the butter has melted. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled oatmeal until well-combined. Fold in the remaining flour, followed by the the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toohtpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla just until combined. Spread on the cooled cake. Chill the cake for about 15 minutes, just to set the frosting before serving.

* recipe and image via Piece of Cake

Quote of the Day

"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go."

- Truman Capote

* image via Fallon Elizabeth

Good Things Come In Small Packages

To say I'm blown away by this aspiring interior decorator Elizabeth Bauer's NYC studio apartment is an understatement. I'm sure like most of you, when I hear the words "studio apartment" the image that comes to mind is not one that includes floor-to-ceiling wallpaper or gold and lucite coffee tables. Needless to say, after seeing these pictures I'm totally inspired for my first apartment to be no less fabulous than this (wink wink).

* images via Lonny Magazine

Quote of the Day

"That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day."

- Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

* image via Pretty Stuff

Diane Kruger's Finest

In honor of my favorite style star's birthday, I thought I'd compile a post of her most standout red carpet moments. Though she's not one to sport much pattern, she steals the spotlight with saturated colors, tons of bejeweled embellishments, and edgy shoes. Take a look!

* images via Instyle and Fabsugar

Quote of the Day

"I'd rather have flowers on my table than diamonds on my neck."

- Emma Goldman

* image via Pretty Stuff

Everything's Coming Up Roses

Summer is in full bloom, especially in Sun Valley where there is no end to the beautiful wildflowers everywhere you turn. All these flowers got me inspired to make a post dedicated to these natural wonders.

* images via Crush Cul de Sac, Saved by the Southern Belle, Matchbook Magazine, Pretty Stuff