Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I went home for part of my birthday weekend and went on a baking frenzy with my mother.  I woke up (late), worked on a book binding project and then decided to make my favorite fall treat–Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Here's the kicker though...these cookies have chocolate chips in them!!! I doubled the recipe because I wanted to share them with my sorority sisters and friends and they go like crazy. People devour these cookies and ask for more. I kid you not–they're very addictive. Because I doubled the recipe, I put it in a giant, metal bowl so I looks like a lot and was a bit intimidating, but now I have plenty of cookies to share!

Ingredients:

2 cups butter (4 sticks softened)

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 can of Libby's Pumpkin

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups of chocolate chips (my favorite part!)

Happy fall! 

- Nicole

21 & Back on Track!

Hello!

So, I need to apologize. I've been a terrible, terrible blogger, but my life took a crazy turn in early July when I was in a pretty bad car accident. I was at an intersection and was struck by two large trucks–tiny me was hit by two HUGE trucks. It was a terrifying experience. I was injured, had a totaled car and was haunted by it day in and day out. I was afraid to drive all summer. I fell into a slump and blogging did not seem very fun at the time, especially since I was wearing a gauze wrap around a second degree burn that covered most of my right arm. The accident threw by back out of alignment, making doing anything extremely painful. In short, I was just in no mood to take pictures of myself or share my thoughts.

Since, I've seen a chiropractor and I no longer have to keep my gross burn under wraps (haha). So I'm doing much better and I've gotten into a normal routine after heading back to Des Moines and getting past my sorority's recruitment. So now that I am 21 (my birthday was Wednesday) and blessed to be alive, I am going to start blogging again! Given the fact that I am an over-involved student, I'm going to aim for one blog post a week. If I have time for more than one, I'll go for it! I just don't want to overcommit myself. I feel like that's been my problem all my life–I hate saying, "NO!" It's just a word I don't care to use too often. So, I'm going to start small for now.


And last but not least, cheers! It's a whole new year of my life and I'm going to enjoy every moment of it doing the things I love with the people I love!

Things I Love: Mint

Right now I've been obsessing over anything mint hued. Here are some pretty pictures of the pretty, feminine color.

Juxtaposing

What I wore: Dress - A boutique in Nîmes, France | Sweater - Forever21 | Shoes - TJ Maxx | Neckalces - Betsey Johnson & a local flea market | Ring - Etsy

Today I wondered around downtown Peoria, purchasing fresh fruits, veggies and breads from the downtown Farmer's Market. I even did a little reminiscing, venturing off to where my old ballet studio used to be. I used to perform in ballets for the Illinois Ballet Company--what a whirlwind that was! Sometimes I definitely miss it, other times I'm glad to be doing what I'm doing now. 

I love the old brick that can be found in city areas. It has such a rough and tough aesthetic and then when you pair it with my very light and feminine pastel get up, you have a very interesting contrast. 

Two Girls, a Ukulele and a Beautiful View

Yesterday I finished up my classes for the week and spent the whole afternoon and late evening with my best friend, Kelsey. We ate food (of course, that's what girls do with their best friends!), shopped, watched trashy TV, and finally wound up at the adorable pond by my house where we horsed around and took lovely pictures. It felt like a perfect start to the weekend!

What I Wore | Shirt - TJ Maxx | Skirt & Belt - Von Maur | Shoes - A boutique in Georgia | Bracelet - Forever 21 | Earrings - A local boutique | Glasses - Rayban

And now meet my best friend, Kelsey of Four String Melodies, a cute (and new) lil' blog where she will be playing little diddies on the ukulele! 

I've been asked to design her blog and I cannot wait--I have so much cuteness to work with!

Have a fantastic Friday, everyone! 

BranDay {Tuesday}

Hello all,

Here are some of my branding picks of the week!

by Josip Kelava
http://www.brandingserved.com/gallery/Melbourne-Dance-Company/2437569

by Beatrice Menis & Mara Rodirguez (both students)
http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2012/05/mud-student-work.html

by Jay Ressler (student work)
http://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2012/05/lucky-layla-farms-student-work.html

Sorry for the lack of style posts! I'm hoping to get back at tonight during golden hour (5 pm). I've been

really busy doing, well, art for my studio art classes I'm taking this summer. Once I accomplish some things, I'll be sure to put in on the blog. I may even photograph some of my work from semesters' past.

So far, I'm loving my advanced drawing class. The professor is so passionate about art and about teaching--it's truly inspiring! I can also sense that he's going to push me...a lot. I already know my weaknesses and I know I'm afraid to push my drawings into abstract, so I have a feeling he's going to move me away from subject matter and more towards emotion and feeling. It's going to be tough, but I feel it could be really rewarding. But I'm also hoping for some creative freedom. I really want to diversify my portfolio and hope to work on some collages and mixed media drawings. But we'll see. I'm excited to see what I create. 

Je manque à Paris

I miss Paris.

This longing for the city of lights stems from my friend's return to the United States after a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark as she discussed her time in the beautiful city.

A year ago, I was returning from my own adventure in France. I immersed myself in the country, speaking the language, marveling at all the art I studied in my art history classes--it was a dream! I was even mistaken to be French several times, which was quite flattering. In short, I felt like I belonged there and would do anything to live and work in Paris as a graphic designer.

Today my outfit is rather reminiscent of the quintessential striped shirt often associated with the French culture. Little did I know when I put on this shirt this morning that I would be missing the city it is often associated with.

When searching for videos on typography (yes, I'm THAT nerdy when it comes to type), I stumbled across this sweet little film about Paris and the French language. I was in love. The type is quite beautiful, as well as the French language.

Outfit Details

Shirt - TJ Maxx

Leggings - Target

Belt - Target

Necklace - Craft Fair in Des Moines, Iowa

Shoes - Sperry

Glasses - Rayban