The Gossip Corner with Stini

Happy Friday Readers!


This week has been chock full celeb news! 


-The Michael Jackson trail began this week with live broadcasts from the courtroom. Now I personally haven't watched any of the footage but apparently Jackson's bodyguard told the court how the children were in the room while Michael Jackson was dying-that to me is horrible and so sad.

                                                          (Photo Credit: Google Images)


-It looks like there will be a little less drama on the Dancing with the Stars set now that George Clooney's ex Elisabetta Canalis has been booted off. During the first elimination Rob Kardashian's sisters were all up in arms over the fact that Canalis wasn't in the bottom three instead of their baby bro. That is no longer an issue.

(Photo Credit: Google Images) 


-Brad Pitt is still trying to recover from the obnoxious comments that he made about ex-wife Jen Aniston! I think he just needs to stop trying and be quiet because he's only digging himself a deeper hole.
                                                         
-This is hilarious-Jonah Hill (Pitts costar in Moneyball) is up in arms and ready to throw down with Glee's Mathew Morrison over a joke he heard Morrison telling about him. Now Jonah was not exactly thrilled upon hearing this so he decided to challenge Morrison while making an appearence on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show. Here's a clip from the show: http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/wednesday-september-21-2011/1357236/


-The Duchess of Cambridge aka Prince Williams wifey Kate Middleton has rejected Anna Wintour's request to pose for Vogue-for the moment. The palace has stated that the Duchess will not be giving any interviews for the time being, probably because she is knee-deep in princess lessons and deciding which charities she is going to support. 

                                 (Photo Credit: UsMagazine.com)

That's the latest gossip! Hope everyone has a lovely weekend :)

Thirsty Thursday's With Vicki

Fur Up For Fall




Gibson Top: Nordstrom
Black Mini Skirt: Express
BB Dakota Faux Fur Vest: Caren & Co.
Booties: Aldo
Jewelry: Caren & Co.

 

This fall, faux fur and real fur, is going to be hitting the streets everywhere! Now, I have to admit, I love my animal friends wayyyy too much, and don’t think I’d be the one to wear real animal fur. But, I’m all for the faux fur, especially in vests and jackets! It’s a great trend that you can wear with a pair of jeans for a casual look or a night out for dinner and drinks. It instantly adds a little something exciting to your outfit.

Try just a simple black, grey, or brown vest. You can also try one in an animal print or one with a sequined detail. You can find them in a range of prices, depending on what you’re looking to spend. I’ve found mine at Forever 21, Kohls, and Caren & Company in Longmeadow, MA. Three were budget savers, while the BB Dakota vest was more of a splurge. But all four each created a completely different look!

Here are four different looks I have put together incorporating the faux fur trend:

1.) Wear a Mini Skirt: Here I have a black studded short sleeve Gibson top paired with a black mini skirt. I threw on my BB Dakota faux fur vest to pull together the look. Then I added a pair of black tights for those cooler nights this fall! For shoes, I can wear these cute pair of Aldo ruffled  peep toe booties. For jewelry I added a pop of color, with a green and gold necklace.



Sweater: Forever 21
Faux Fur Vest: Forever 21
Jean Leggings: Gap
Booties: Vince Camuto Outlet
Bracelet: Vintage



2.) Wear a Black Skinny Jean Legging: For a top, I have on here a three quarter length sweater from Forever 21, worn with a pair of black Skinny Jean Leggings. To bring in the faux fur trend, I have a grey cheetah print vest on that has this cute black belt to pull in the look. For shoes, I have on these pair of black zippered booties I bought at The Vince Camuto Outlet in Wrentham, MA! I added on to this look by incorporating a cheetah print bracelet.



Sweater Dress: Forever 21
Faux Fur Vest: Forever 21
Leggings: Nordstrom
Heels: Christian Siriano For Payless
Necklace: Vintage

 3.) Try A Black Legging: For this look I have a fitted grey short sleeve sweater dress on with a pair of thick black leggings. I incorporated this light weight black sequin vest and these pair of silver/grey strappy heels from Christian Siriano for Payless. I also added on to the look with a black and silver long necklace.

Top: Express
Bandage Skirt: Express
Faux Fur Jacket: Kohls
Tights: DSW
Heels: Jessica Simpson-DSW
Necklace: Caren & Co.

4.)A Black Faux  FurJacket: If you want to stray away from the faux fur vest, and would rather try a jacket, this look instantly makes your look classy!. Try one in black, like this Lauren Conrad from Kohls faux fur jacket that I bought at the end of winter 2011. Bought this baby for only $20! For this look, I have a black racerback lace top on to create a sexier appeal. I also added a pop of color by pairing the top with a pink bandaged skirt. I also added fun printed tights, a silver chain necklace and a pair of black heels. This outfit creates an instant city-girl look!

So let me know if you’re going to be trying this furry friend trend this fall/winter season! Keep it trendy ladies!

Wacky Wednesday's with Jenbiff

Time Warp

This past spring I really got into reading blogs and I got a ton of inspiration for my own closet. A few of the blogs I read on the reg (like this  and this) either incorporate a lot of vintage pieces into their outfits or take inspiration from decades past and make it modern. Fashion will always come back around!

50's Zebra top from Roz's Place (Photo Credit: rozsplacevintage.com)

For a little while now I've really wanted to check out some vintage and consignment shops--but mostly the vintage. Yesterday I decided to walk around Northampton, Ma (a little city that Vicki has mentioned many times as a fun place to go out at night). As Vicki mentioned in her very first post about Noho, there are a ton of shops and boutiques that line Main Street, and many that are very close by. I ended up wandering into three (3!) vintage shops: Sid Vintage, Roz's Place , and Retro Genie.

70s dress from Roz's Place (Photo Credit: rozsplacevintage.com)

As you many have already guessed, all of these shops were very vintage-y (smell and all!). The most modern thing in them were the people, and even they were a tad vintage. But I think that is the appeal to it...well that, and the merchandise they sell. You definitely don't go to a vintage shop looking for something from the Kardashian's clothing line. All three places had clothes from as far back as the 50s (maybe older) all the way up to the 90s.

Polka dot dress from Sid Vintage (Photo Credit: sid-vintage.com)

Retro Genie is where I made my first vintage purchase! An adorable black jacket with rhinestones around the end of the sleeve and pockets. Pictures will come at a later date I promise! The woman working in Retro Genie made a good point that I forgot when debating whether or not to get the jacket...even though it's vintage, it's one of a kind. I know that no one else is going to have to same thing as me (even if that someone held onto it from the time they bought it). If you have already been vintage shopping, doesn't it feel like a treasure hunt? And if you take good care of the treasure, it will last you a while.

The Sid Vintage logo (Photo Credit: sid-vintage.com)

Unfortunately for us Western Massers, there really isn't anything else unless you go to a Salvation Army or Goodwill. The next closest vintage shops are in Worcester, Vermont, Connecticut, or Boston. I won't lie though...I wouldn't mind making a little road trip to Boston every once in a while to go vintage shopping...maybe I'll be able to see Jenbou and KM a little more if I did!

Are you interested in vintage shops?? What are your favorite finds?  

Quote of the Week: "I could be your girl
And share this life with you
But I don’t wanna wear white
You know it’s too late for that
But can we keep the ever after
Oh could it be
Just you and me"

Last Week's Answer: Minny Jackson and Hilly Holbrook from The Help

KM Explains it All!

Just Call Me Betty Crocker!

My Mom's birthday was last week but we just got to celebrating it as a family this week.  Of course cake is a huge part of the celebration and originally I was going to make her favorite kind, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, from scratch but then we came upon a recipe that intrigued us.  Cake balls!  This ingenious idea was unbelievably easy to make and wicked delicious!  

All you need to do is follow these easy instructions seen here.  

We almost always use Betty Crocker but it just depends on your taste preference!

Since the recipe calls for you to crumble it, I didn't bother using round cake pans and opted for a rectangle pan instead.

We wanted to try different combinations so I split the cake in half then mixed in the frosting.  I'm of the same mindset as Paula Dean where everything tastes better when you get really into your cooking and use your hands.  For this particular combination I had no problem at all sticking my hands in and was able to eat everything that stuck to my hands when I was done...finger-licking good!

It doesn't say this on the website but if the balls are falling apart at all, that means you need more frosting.  I guesstimated at how much I initially put in since I split it in half.  Also it was easy to form if your hands were a bit moist making the batter stick to your hands less.  I then let them chill overnight in the fridge.  I think that it would have been easier if I had let them sit in the freezer for a bit before I covered them with chocolate since once they warmed even the slightest bit then they would fall apart in the chocolate making me very frustrated.  I tried to save them by patching them up with chocolate while my brother, who was attempting to help, decided that they were a lost cause and found better storage for them in his stomach.  In the end I ended up doing it Paula Dean style and dipped the last couple with my hands.

Initially I tried to cover some of them with white chocolate but the consistency is different from regular chocolate and it ended up pulling them apart.  Instead I used the melted white chocolate over the regular chocolate so I wouldn't waste it and it made it more decorative.  Everyone LOVED them!  Sometimes a full piece of cake is too much so this was a perfect solution.  I definitely recommend this recipe for anyone who is looking for something a bit different.  They had a contraption at Kohls that made it even easier for you to make them.  This can be seen here.  Personally I don't mind getting messy when I bake but if you're looking to spend the money and go for an easier route then maybe you should consider that purchase.

Have any fun and different recipe's?  Let me know!

Outfit Outtakes by Jen Bou

A Trend to Try

I picked up this sheer polka dot top in black at the beginning of August at H&M and since I liked it so much, I bought the cream colored version about a month later (you can see how I wore it here)

When I had first tried it on at the store, my mom thought it was too baggy and boxy but I loved it so I went ahead and purchased it. I was trying to think of different ways to wear it such as possibly tucking it in (too short for that). So I tried it un-tucked with a slim bottom but it still didn’t look right. One morning I was determined to make it look good with something. So I paired it with a khaki pencil skirt and after playing around with it I came up with the perfect solution.

I decided to try a trend I’ve been eyeing for a while. So what I did was unbuttoned the last 3 buttons and tied it in a knot which made for the perfect length but also a better fit.

 

Just add a simple pencil skirt and some pumps and voila! A trendy way to wear a top and a polished look for work! :)

Tank: Express

Top: H&M

Skirt: The Limited

Shoes: Calvin Klein via DSW

Bag: Daisy Fuentes for Kohls

Necklace: Forever 21