define dinner party

looking at pictures (like the one above) of a dinner party i went to last week, i started thinking about the definition of a dinner party. i was also thinking that you should have one and invite me.

when you hear “throw a dinner party” do you envision a gorgeous loft apartment dripping with lights, appetizers that look like still- life, and lots of graceful people who can somehow laugh and sip champagne at the same time without spraying it at the cute guy next to them? i do not. i mean, i used to. then i started throwing and attending real dinner parties. turns out, everyone’s spraying champagne on the cute guy next to them, and sometimes it’s cheap red wine mixed with Squirt instead of champagne, and sometimes there are no cute guys because there are no guys there at all.

what i’m saying is that dinner parties are just dinner with people you want to be around. and they’re so much fun! and i think you should have one!

dinner parties can mean different things, depending on who you ask. i have a friend that loves to create the entire meal herself. impressive. at the dinner party i went to last week, the hostess had everyone bring a different dish. we told stories about our creations while we ate them-  “you should have seen me trying to figure out how to cut up bok choy” or “it turns out I’ve been cooking with lavender bath salts for like 4 months now“- and talked about what we might do differently next time.

trying new recipes is so much fun, but if you and your friends need a cheap and easy night in, have someone grab the bread and cheese and have someone else grab the veggies. or whip up a giant pasta dish yourself. make sure you have something tasty to sip on, be it giant glasses of wine or cozy mugs of cocoa. or water, because i don’t think any of us drink enough of that stuff. if you’re like me, and you just moved, you may be saying things like “please bring your own fork, and a chair please”. due to lack of cutlery and seating, i am currently limited to dinner parties of two. i’m working on that.

you can throw impromptu dinner parties for your roommates, your pet, or “the person you hold hands with”, to quote my friend rosamund. this really just involves providing food with the addition of something special. hell, last week I threw a bunch of kale in a vase and called it a centerpiece! the point is, dinner parties are a gift you give yourself and your friends. you need to eat, so put a bow tie on your cat, throw some votives in some mason jars, and find some hungry people you fancy!  i’ll be patiently awaiting my invitation.

xo

lexi

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bloody(mary) sunday

what better way to beat a gloomy sunday than brunch with your bestie!?  it was a rainy one here in Chicago, so lexi and i headed to one of our favorite local spots, lula cafe, to brighten our day. besides having a ridiculously cute interior (and an always amazing rotating display of local artists’ work), they offer a new menu with an organic focus daily! farm fresh seasonal veggies, artisanal cheeses, wild-caught fish, and locally raised meats and poultry means not only is lula good in our tummies but its good for us. we strongly suggest you stop by if you’re in the neighborhood!

on lexi: burgundy jeans are the perfect splash of color on an otherwise gray day. and matchy matchy heels add just the right amount of fancy for sunday brunch!  on lo: a chunky cardigan will keep you cozy as the temperature continues to drop, especially when layered over a patterned dress and paired with your favorite pair of worn in knee highs!

and how was you weekend, honeypies?

xo. lexi and lo

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a musical monday

oh monday, are you really here again already!?  hopefully this little musical mix will help you get through your workaday day.

here’s to the afternoon flying by!

xo.

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shop local, duh!

if you are like us, you spent your ‘black friday’ avoiding the crowds at big name chain stores and day dreaming of all the adorable vintage, handmade, and local crafts, clothes, and wares you plan on shopping for small business saturday. in honor of this very cool day, we are sharing our favorite local Chicago spots with you!  stop by to say hello or visit their online stores, either way….happy shopping!

The Needle Shop is a “school and fabric store designed for the Do-It-Yourself-er in all of us! Our fabric store boasts the most unique designers not available in chain stores. Our classes focus on fashion and interior sewing, upholstery, hand embroidery and screen printing.”  even if you don’t live close enough to try out a workshop (we took the hand embroidery class and loooved it!), stop by their online store and just try not to drool over their eclectic fabric choice.

Lenny & Me is “inspired by all that is old, anything that has lived a life to tell a story.” They have two locations along Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park (um, can we just move in to the house wares store, please!?) but we love their Etsy site just as much.

Kokoroko features “vintage clothing with a 80s edge and a 90s vibe”. we love that kokorokoko pushes the envelope with throw back trends (hello parachute pants!) but if you’re not feeling quite ready to relive fashions from our childhood, check out their selection of vintage leather handbags and shoes! (ps. use the code WOWSOGOOD all weekend in their online shop for 25% off!!!)

After years of “loving, collecting, obsessing over & selling vintage” Very Best Vintage opened their doors in 2008. They offer “carefully hand selected womens, mens, & childrens clothing, shoes & accessories from the 1920’s through the 1990’s.”  Their collection of super girly dresses are precocious without being pretentious.

“Renegade Handmade is a unique one-stop shop for DIY goods, featuring the work of over 400 artists! Created as an extension of the Renegade Craft Fair, the store serves as a permanent location for people to buy and sell unique handmade items year ’round.” We love going to the Renegade Craft Fair here in Wicker Park every summer, and are so happy that our friends from all over can check out their awesome inventory year round.

Grinderman “believes in the power of the human being. From grower, to Distributor, From the Roaster to the bag, From the Bicycle to you. The structure of Grinderman coffee brings fair trade coffees from around the world to our homemade open flame roasters. After roasting the coffee is immediately bagged and dated for delivery. By responding to the weekly email you will have coffee delivered to your home, office, or anywhere that is arranged that very same week.”  um…what else could we ask for!?

what are your favorite local places to shop?  leave us links in the comment section below and we will for sure check them out!

xo.

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day after, still thankful

has everyone recovered from Thanksgiving? did you fly out of bed to greet the day today? snuggle in your covers and wish someone would bring you coffee (me)? either way, today’s a good day, in my opinion. the day after a day for being thankful. a time to stop for a minute, after a crazy day (for us) of cooking and family and running around, and just be grateful for what we have. family, friends, health, and safety are things we catch ourselves taking for granted, but they’re so amazing and wonderful that it’s nice to get that reminder. we’re a couple of lucky girls, and we’re thankful that you all let us share the tangible things we’re so crazy about.

xo

lo & lexi

 

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oh hey there, sweet potato.

it’s always nice when something you’re obsessed with/can’t get enough of is actually good for you. ah, sweet potatoes… you are super. i have purchased them every time i’ve been to the grocery store in the last few days, and now have sweet potatoes hanging out on my desk at work, at my boyfriend’s place, and in my fridge. clearly i fear running out of these little buggers, and feel the need for a yam stockpile.

seriously, buy a couple of these guys, scrub them, dice them into 1″ cubes, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread evenly in a roasting pan, cake pan, whatever. 350 degrees for 40 minutes. oh dang. it’s so good. and pretty, if you ask me.

from there, it’s up to you. pop ’em as is, or drizzle with a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and a handful of  raisins. dessert! kaboom! mash with ricotta cheese and use them to stuff pasta shells? make some sweet potato pancakes? (amazing idea. must make that for dinner. breakfast for dinner and sweet potatoes? too much perfect to handle) any way you spin this, it’s super healthy and tasty. bring your own twist on sweet potatoes to your next fall feast and make sure to tell us all about it!

xo

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another year older

hello lovelies!  how was your weekend? i had a rather wonderful and exciting weekend myself -i celebrated turning 29 years old!  highlights included: birthday breakfast with the boy at our favorite vegetarian brunch spot, lexi surprising me with flowers at work, receiving a handmade piece of art work from one of my dearest friends,  and an all out karaoke bash in Koreatown.  we sang at the top of our lungs and danced on table tops (yep- it got that wild!) till the wee hours of the morning! i felt very loved and am so thankful for my wonderful friends and family that made my day so special!

this year i decided to skip the birthday gift wish list.  i am so very blessed in so many ways (..i am gainfully employed and love and am continuously inspired by my career..i have a humble little home i share with my wonderful husband to be..we have plenty of food on our plates..families that love us..friends that we adore..) its easy to get way too caught up in the day to day and even easier to forget to take the time to be thankful for even the simplest parts of life.  this year i am going to really appreciate all that i have when so many people out there in the world have so little.

all that said and it still didn’t stop the boy from snatching up this paul simon album he stumbled across at a thrift store and wrapping it up for me.  we have to spoil each other just a little, right?

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go stick your face in the sun

happy weekend, dollface!  hopefully you’ve got some sun to go stick your face in. this is something i do when i need a recharge or a quick wake-up. it’s like a cold shower, but wildly more pleasant. in addition to “have some more coffee”, this is something my mom always says. below is a picture of lake michigan that i took this morning, outside of my apartment building. a cup of coffee in hand with my face in the sun was the perfect way to start my friday. send me pictures of what the start of your day looks like to unapologeticallycute@gmail.com and i’ll post it next friday.

xo

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coming soon from lexi and lo…

today i went to go help out at a kindergarten class here in Chicago on my lunch break. while we were sounding out words and eating carrot sticks (messy combo), one of the kids told me that he was happy because today was “thumbs-up Thursday”. i had no idea what that meant, and he didn’t give me much more to go on than two sticky-fingered thumbs  in the air indicating that today was really, really awesome. good attitude, little buddy.

speaking of unabashed excitement, i want to share a little preview of what’s coming to unapologeticallycute. 4 things that i think you’ll love. a giveaway, an interview, a refurbishing (yep, i’m doing that. watch out), and a recipe that i’m a bit obsessed with. these are just a few examples, as lo obviously has more than a few amazing DIY projects, photos, and fashion creations to wow you with, so keep an eye out in the weeks to come. thumbs-up, kiddos.

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harvest crown

we are holding on with all our might to these last few fall days before winter sets in! and what better way than to dress the part of a harvest queen head to toe!? these lovely autumnal hair pieces were oh so easy to make and add an oh so lovely splash of color to any outfit.

you need:

a hot glue gun

silk flowers and/or leaves

a headband and/or barrettes

head to you local craft store to pick out your favorite (fake) fall blooms. this time of the year, lots of autumn colored silk flowers and leaves are on sale. bonus!  ~  pull the flowers/leaves off their stems and cut down the plastic green piece on the back to create a flat surface.  ~ arrange the flowers/leaves to your liking. use hot glue to adhere them to a headband or barrette. (tip: start from the center and work your way out to create symmetry)

go for bigger blooms or lots of little ones for more of a statement piece.

or play it simple.

enjoy!

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