Selfie Journalism

Guess what! I wrote an article for Teen Vogue about living my life as a YoPro in the big apple. Pretty cool, huh? Check it out here for some tips and advice on everything from where to eat on the cheap to how to decorate your apt. 

How To: Chia Seed Pudding

Were you aware that Chia Seeds have three times the calcium of milk? Along with a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids, protein and a slew of other good-for-you things. Soooo the idea of turning this superfood into a "dessert" type substance intrigued me. Introducing the Chia See Pudding. The consistency and texture is a little gooey, so you're gonna have to be into that. Le Pain Quotidian had the most AMAZING chia seed and coconut pudding this summer that I could not get enough of. Here's a link to their recipe, if you're feeling a little more advanced and fancy. 

For the simplest of recipes, just combine the ingredients below and refridgerate the mixture over night and *voila!* you'll wake up to a delicious (and nutritious) snack.

Other flavors you can add and try: pear, ginger, almonds, honey, coconut, agave, raspberry- the list goes on and on. I just made a batch and added carob chips, so we will see how that goes. Bon appétit! 

How-To: Repurpose New Year's Eve Decorations

Hello! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday full of food, family, and resolutions just waiting to be broken! Just kidding. I have complete faith in you all. One of my resolutions this year is to read more books and watch less TV. So guess what I did last night? I read a book while watching a movie! Baby steps, right? (I started "Hotel Rwanda" but then I was like WAIT WHAT AM I DOING so before I lost all hope in humanity I switched to the "First Wive's Club" and paged through "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" by Maria Semple. Blissful ignorance prevails!! How great is this scene from the movie, though? It had me dancing around my apartment and wishing I was a middle aged divorcée.)

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I wanted to revisit New Year's Eve because that is one of my highest rated holidays. Why? GOLD. Gold everywhere. And sequins. Gold sequins are practically the uniform of New Year's Eve and people will give you the stink eye if you choose not to participate. Therefore my roommate and I decided to throw a party. However, throwing a New Year's Eve party is tricky. There's a lot of pressure for NYE. Everyone has this vision of being at the perfect party in the perfect party dress and receiving the perfect midnight kiss. So everyone kind of waits around for an invitation to said party, but no one is throwing one because they assume everyone else already has plans. So until one brave friend steps up to the plate and bites the bullet (thanks Julia!) there aren't many house parties on NYE (but if you're looking for club parties, New York City is a goldmine).

In light of that, we decided to do the logical thing and host a New Year's Eve Eve party on the 30th. And it was a hit! It was titled "Penultimate: A Beer In Review". We ran out of food and alcohol so that's a sure sign it was well attended, right? Either that or we are terrible party planners. My sister Selina was visiting from Singapore so she, Ariella and I made the trip over to Party City and stared in awe at the millions of options for decorations. Literally some of the most inane things can be sold if you slap "Happy New Years!" on it. We decided to stick with a more modest selection of gold tinsel and gold solo cups  (see below) which should replace the red ones at all college parties in my humble opinion.

After a wonderful night with close friends and even closer strangers, we awoke to an apartment that looked like King Midas had projectile vomited on. (For clarification, that is not a negative description). But, alas, one cannot live in such a state. So what were we to do? Throw out all the gold decorations? What a waste! I decided to find a way to recycle them. My bedroom door was in need of a little sprucing up, so I took the gold tinsel and did a little Sweet Nothing number to it. See below for my DIY on re-loving your New Year's decorations. 

How To: Cinnamon Honey Almond Oatmeal Pancakes

This morning I woke up with a strong desire for pancakes. However, I do not allow pancake mix in my kitchen on pretenses of being healthy. DILEMMA. So I improvised. Instead of pancake mix, I used oatmeal (you can also add mashed bananas for added texture). I switched chocolate chips for carob chips (my new obsession), sugar for a drizzle of honey and almond milk instead of cow's milk. I also added a dash of chia seeds because they are the food of the future, and some almonds and walnuts to taste. The results ended up being extremely tasty and nutritionally satisfying (my roommate Ariella can testify! I'm not making it up!)

I apologize for the lack of picture for step two, but there was just absolutely no way to make the lump of eggs and oatmeal look even remotely appetizing on the frying pan. So I decided to tastefully leave it out. But you get the idea.

Let me know if you try it out, and what your thoughts are! Would YOU make the switch to oatmeal? Important life questions that need to be answered.

Have a delightful Sunday! 

xx

Step two (not pictured): Take it to the griddle!

How To: Glitter Cards

I've had quite a few birthdays and house warming parties to attend recently (I'm so popular) and my go-to has been doing a little watercolor and ink illustration of the receiver (everyone loves a portrait of themselves). But if you want something a little more simple but with some sparkle factor, here's a great way to pull together a card when you remember last minute or just don't want to spend $10 on stationary.

Tangerine Snail

Made this little guy for breakfast this morning. Mostly because I was in the mood to play with food after my sister Selina showed me this creative mom, but also after I saw the snail on Pinterest (where creativity goes to die). As everyone knows, food is much more fun to devour when shaped like cute little animals! Especially in escargot form so you can feel all fancy-like. 

(But real talk- shape Mac 'n Cheese? Soooo much better than the original, whose with me?)

omnomnom

BONUS: My favorite escargot joke from childhood. We all have them, so please share yours in the comments below!

...

A snail bought himself a snazzy fast car but took it in to get a more eye catching color. At the car paint shop, he asked that the car be painted neon yellow and have a large red ‘S’ printed on each side.

Confused, the worker asked, “Why a big ‘S’?”

Grinning, the snail replied, “When people see me drive past, they’ll notice and say, ‘Hey, look at that ‘S’ car go!’” 

...

So good right?? My parents read this to me every night before bed.

How To: Colorful Paper Bunting

Last weekend Ariella and I threw our house warming party, but we needed a lil something special for our entrance way to welcome our lovely guests. Technically, we're not supposed to hang things in the hallway of our building... buuut we have the whole top floor to ourselves so liiiiike whose going to see it?

 The best aesthetic is a Pinterest aesthetic (btw- looking to host a "Wine and Pinterest" party if anyone is interested... it's exactly what it sounds like), so I did my best to make some cutesy bunting that you'd find on an "English Garden Party" board. It's super easy to make and we've decided to leave it up because it's such a wonderful sight to come home to. Warms the heart and cheers the spirits. Or some Pinterest-y saying like that.

P.S. I went to TOWN on the washi tape in my apartment. I can't get enough. It's addicting. Beware. 

"Blank Walls Are Criminal" -Banksy

I am not allowed to mark on my walls or put nails into it. This has led to an apartment full of blue tape and 3M hooks a.k.a. my college dorm room. While this is unfortunate, the apartment does have wonderfully high ceilings. You win some you lose some. 

Banksy is well-known for agreeing with my theory that white walls kill creativity, so I wanted to create a little somethin somethin using removable black painters tape to fill the space. However, a thorough search through Home Depot, Michaels and Paper Source led me to believe that no such thing exists. So armed with plebeian masking tape and a jumbo black sharpie, I meticulously colored-in several yards of tape and pulled a poor man's Pygmalion on my wall. I also decided to film the process and set it to happy music because why would you not.
*spoiler pic at the bottom of post*

How To: Glitter Antlers

The perks (and downfalls) of living in Williamsburg: I am two blocks away from Saturdays' Smorgasburg  and Sunday's Brooklyn Flea. This means ramen burgers (yes, that's a thing) at my fingertips, and overpriced mason jars that I never knew I needed but, in fact, were the only things missing from my life. 

While I had been exemplifying excellent self-restraint last Sunday, I happened upon a collection of antlers that made me weak in the knees. Now, everything looks good with gold glitter on it. But dead animal body parts? Those take the cake. 

So I purchased my friend, here, for $20 (read: almost a month's worth of Green Peace "donations"). The older man who collected these pieces kindly informed me that the antlers' name was Buck. I said thank you and slowly backed away. What does that even mean?? Are these the remains of a childhood pet deer whose time had come? Or did he shoot the wild animal and then name it? The jury is still out. And will probably never come back.

Seeing as some of the few belongings I brought with me when I first came to NYC included two industrial-sized jars of gold glitter, I had plenty to experiment with. I'm also at a point in my life where, if glitter gets all over every surface in my room (and it will), I embrace it. That's an important part of DIY-ing, by the way: having a good space to DIY in. It was a delightful Sunday evening in my own special DIY space; candles were lit, Sam Cooke was on the turntable, and Buck was in my arms. 

***

This is a pretty complicated one, so please read the instructions carefully.

(P.S. How much more legit do DIY photos look when you Google "hipster fonts" and write things on them?? Score!)

How To: Color Code Keys

The most exciting thing about a new apartment (other than having a place to live) is the set of keys that come with it. However, as much as I love my new neighborhood, I feel as though people can get touchy with newcomers because, well, they were in Williamsburg before it was "cool". And nothing screams newbie like fumbling with your keys at the front door as droves of hipsters scoot by (has anyone else noticed the rise in razor scooters??) (Also, is the active verb "scoot" in this situation? Plz advise.)

But fear no more, new kids on the block! With this nifty DIY project, you can discreetly check which key is which before stepping onto your stoop. People will think you've lived there for years.

 Jokes on them!

P.S.  Bonus points if you match your nails to your keys. Surprisingly, the nail art craze is still alive and well, so don't worry about being passé (for now).