Weekend Wishes

Just some link for your weekend pleasure... 

It's hard to believe that September is almost over already! 

TED Talk that shows art where a woman paints people as her canvas

J.Crew is having an additional 30% sale on sale merchandise! 

My Cruciani bracelet is fraying after a year of wearing non stop...

might be time for an order.

Have you all downloaded iOS 7 on your iPhone and iPads? I'm obsessed! 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Muffin Madness

I guess you could say I am really in the fall spirit. When school comes around again my mom is always in the kitchen making the most amazing muffins. She usually rotates between harvest, blueberry, and pumpkin muffins. When I have a bit of free time coming up I might actually try and tackle one of these amazing fall muffin recipes. The peach muffins above look amazing!!! 

Baked Apple Cider Donuts... such a sweet treat! 

Zucchini Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

Have a great day! xox

Fall Essentials

It seems to me like fall is officially here! The weather is getting chilly in the mornings and at night but during the day it's still nice enough to enjoy some time outside in the sun. Fall is my favorite time of year, especially when you get to see the leaves turn and can go apple picking and pumpkin picking. I'm interested to see what fall will be like here in the city. I've heard that fall in Copenhagen is mainly marked by rain so it will certainly be a learning experience! One thing I do love about a nice fall day is bundling up and enjoying some time outside. My friends and I when we would be on campus would take our blankets after class and go do work on the quad which I always love! I've had a couple of park days here in Copenhagen which have been so nice and hopefully I will get to enjoy some more time outside before the weather really turns. 

Even though I'm trying to savor the warm weather I'm wearing less of my short sleeved options and have been bundling up in layers and sweaters lately. I thought I would put together a list of fall essentials that I can't live without! What are some of your fall essentials? 

J. Crew Wool Peacoat

 Its more of a motorcycle style close up but I love my classic option as well!

J. Crew Ponte Peplum

I love having a classic black peplum... you can dress it up or down and its perfect for layering too. 

J. Crew Leather Panel V Neck Sweater

I have the classic beige one but I love this option too... The leather panels add a whole other element.

Zara Skinny Old Blue Jeans

I am obsessed with Zara denim, they fit so well and are so comfortable too! I love this pair... and this pair is pretty amazing! 

Calypso St Barth Jamie Wool Scarf

During the fall and winter I rarely leave the house without a scarf. They keep you warm and add an element of color to any outfit! I usually love the Anthropologie ones too. 

C. Wonder Calf Hair Driving Moc

I love my C. Wonder driving mocs, they are the most comfortable pair of shoes that I own and are beyond adorable as well! I have a plain navy pair but I have to say the leopard pair is fabulous. 

Ralph Lauren Sachi Leather Riding Boot

Once the weather changes my riding boots become a staple, they keep my feet so much warmer and are such a quintessential fall piece. 

Have a great day! 

Relaxation

I guess all of the craziness of traveling and staying up late to explore and do work has caught up. I am a little bit under the weather so when I got back from classes today I hopped right back into bed with my computer and homework assignments and have been working away. I'm not the type of person to take a nap so relaxing in bed is just what I needed for today! 

I came across some fabulous rooms that remind me a little of my room at home. I have a fairly neutral color palette of white bedding and such with pops of pink everywhere. At school my room has pink and navy everywhere, I like my dorm room to have an energy to it but at home its nice to have a happy medium. In Denmark my room is more Ikea esque, I didn't get to pick out my bedding so I just have a blinged out duvet cover and the rest of the room is stark white so clearly when I came across these rooms each with a pop of color I gravitated to their style! 

Love the pink and orange combo as well! 

Since I'm in the comfort mindset I couldn't help but fall in love with these pjs... I have a pair like this that I wear all the time but I love the monogram detailing on these! I've never heard of Lola Lane before but they have some adorable items on their Etsy shop. 

Hope you have a great day! xox

Sailing the Sea

Happy Monday everyone! 

 This weekend flew by for me and it's hard to believe that I've already finished off my first test this week and am preparing for my second test already. This weekend I took a cruise to Oslo, Norway with a group of people in my dorm. We booked a couple of weeks ago and had been anxiously awaiting our trip which I absolutely loved. We left Copenhagen at 4:15 on Friday and got to Oslo by 9:45. So we spent the whole day exploring and adventuring around and boarded the boat again by 4:15 to return back home for 9:45 Sunday morning. 

I had to find a cliche Monday's Motivation like the one above. We literally sailed the weekend away and even when we got off the cruise ship we took a sailboat around the area in Oslo too! Even though I had so much to do when I got back and knew that I would be stressed there was no stopping me from going away this weekend and I'm happy that I did. I came into my study abroad experience knowing that I wanted to see and do so many new things... I don't want to look back and regret so sailing away and going to explore was perfect! 

Have a great day! xox

Weekend Wishes

Another week has flown by in Copenhagen and I have to say I'm so happy that it's Friday! This week was a really busy one and it feels like I still haven't found a schedule... I'm not sure that I will ever since classes and trips and work is really all over the place here but thats what the experience is all about. Certainly its bringing me out of my comfort zone to not have a schedule! 

I've realized that this whole trip in general is all about going out of my comfort zone... and I certainly have since being here. I've really had to figure out how to live on my own, how to commute to school, how to plan my days 24-7 for the next three months, how to shop and cook for three meals a day (I've done some cooking and am pretty proud of myself)! It's certainly taught me a lot about being independent and I've learned a lot about myself from just being here for one month. 

This weekend I have a trip planned with a lot of friends and people from my dorm. Unfortunately I have two tests and a four page paper due for next week so I will have to make the most out of my trip and come right home to work away! I'm excited though to get away and for a little bit and see another country... I'm so excited to add to my country list some more in the next couple of weeks! 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 

Fabulous Foods: A House In The Hills

I came across a blog the other day called A House In The Hills about a woman named Sarah who suffers from Crohns Disease and has transformed her diet to be vegan only. She has the most amazing looking dishes and all of them seem to be so healthy and fresh. When my friends came over for dinner Friday night I modeled our meal after one of her dishes and we loved it. I might be trying some more of these dishes in the near future... I need a little more variety in terms of my dinner options. What is great too is her meals take relatively little time to make!  

Sweet Potato Chili

Now these look amazing... Might have to make these around Christmas time! 

This is the meal that we modeled ours after... she used zucchini as her pasta but we just got whole wheat which was still just as good! 

Such a healthy mix! 

What are some of your favorite recipes? 

Copenhagen Street Style

I have to say, the street and bike style here in Copenhagen is pretty fabulous. When I'm walking around I always spot some really chic women who miraculously pull off bike riding in what seems like couture... practical couture that is. Usually I don't have enough time to snap a picture before they are off on their way but the other day I happened to be riding my bike behind a chic biker and did some biking and picture taking (without her noticing of course)! As I was snapping away another wonderfully dressed woman walked beside this girl and so I couldn't help but snap another picture. I'm sure people around me thought that I was crazy but I couldn't resist... I've put together some combinations of what they had on. The style here is practical chic, a lot of darker colors and plain mixed in with chic accessories and a little bit of pattern somewhere. 

 Such a perfect moment... and they both have on leopard print shoes might I add.

The biker had on a very classic outfit... everyone has some form of quilted jacket here and black jeans are a must. I loved the Chanel bag and leopard print shoes that she wore! 

Barbour Quilted Coat, Top, Wax Jeans, Hermes Bracelet, Leopard Flats, Chanel Bag, Hermes Bike

Loved this outfit too! I guess since they don't have Labor Day the rule to not wear white after Labor Day doesn't apply here. Haha. 

Tory Burch Sweater, Jeans, Black Tank, Kate Spade Watch, Louis Vuitton Bag, Leopard Flats 

Hope you have a great day! 

Happy Birthday Isabel!!

Today is my sister's birthday and I wanted to wish her an amazing day! She is like my partner in crime, and I'm so excited that today is a day to celebrate her! I love her so much and I wish I was able to enjoy her day with her... I think this is the first year ever that I haven't been or come home from school to enjoy her special day with her but I'm sending love from miles away! Have an amazing day Isabel, Love you lots!!! xoxoxoxoxo

I just couldn't resist... so cute especially for a girl who wants a mini pig one day! 

xoxo

Monday's Motivation

It's crazy for me to say this but I've been officially living in Copenhagen for one month as of yesterday. It's been one month... I don't know how it flew by so quickly! I've spent the past month traveling around Copenhagen, seeing other parts of Denmark and going to Sweden too. Not only have I seen amazing monuments and attractions but I've met some amazing friends and can't wait for what is to come in the next three months (a lot of traveling to come). 

There was a point in the beginning of this trip where I would sit and look back and let it really soak in that I'm living here... Its still a little bit surreal to be honest. It doesn't feel like a month at all. I know that I am fortunate enough to take part in a once of a lifetime trip... this is amazing and I want to see and do as many things as possible while I am abroad. I don't want to look back... I want to keep up the amazing momentum and savor these next couple of months. As quickly as this month has gone by I know the next ones will to so I don't want to lose time. 

I was talking to some friends at the dinner table the other night and one of the girls asked what I had planned for the weekend. I told her that I was planning on going to northern Denmark to see castles and then to see flea markets and to Tivoli to see the fireworks and illuminations shows (they were absolutely amazing). She couldn't believe all that I had planned in a weekend... let alone all of the things that I've already done and seen around Copenhagen. For me, I'm not here to spend time watching Netflix in my room (I haven't watched any tv in one month) and while it's relaxing don't get me wrong, I would rather get my school work done and then go exploring. That is why I'm here.

I'm not going to become more well rounded by watching The Real Housewives but I will become a new person and learn about myself when navigating the streets of Copenhagen on my bike, or taking the regional train up north to see the castles. Those are the experiences that I want to have, not the ones that will make me look back and regret not spending my time wisely.  

I hope everyone has a week filled with exciting adventures and proactivity! 

Weekend Wishes

T.G.I.F, Its officially the weekend! This week felt like the first official week of school, we were going all the time and I even had two projects due already! While I love being able to check big assignments off my list early in the semester, it seemed like the group project I did for my Medical Anthropology class didn't go as well as we thought so that was a little discouraging. This weekend is going to be filled with spending time adventuring around with friends... tonight I am cooking with a couple girls from my class and tomorrow and Sunday I am going to see some castles up North which will be nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a bit! 

What does everyone have planned for the weekend? I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! 

Unplugged

Have you ever thought about how connected and plugged in you are to technology? I know I have a minor obsession with instagram and pinterest and my form of relaxation is going through blogs... but I didn't exactly realize the extent of the obsession until my dorm lost Wifi for three hours yesterday. Not only could I not check my go to sites and apps but I couldn't do homework (everything is online these days) and I couldn't let anyone know that I was disconnected from the world because the only way to connect with them is through Wifi. Haha. 

Everyone in the dorm was in a panic and ironically people who I have never seen leave their rooms were walking about because they couldn't be planted in front of the computer if there was no wifi. It was both hilarious and horrifying to see how attached we all were and how adamant we were about plugging back in again. 

After about 10 minutes of panic, I  decided to get back to reading my textbook for class and to be honest I got the work done so much more quickly because I didn't have any distraction. I didn't and couldn't check instagram every five minutes to see what model was walking down the NYFW runway, or the adventures that my friends were on at that exact moment. It occurred to me that sometimes disconnecting (or being forced to) from the social media centered world is necessary and more beneficial at times too. 

I was talking to some of my friends on the program here who are in dorms that don't have wifi or in host families who have a 3G plug that they have to share. I expected every one of them to be freaking out about the lack of connection but so far, all of them have said that they like being able to disconnect when they go home and focus on the people that are actually in front of them instead of the ones that are thousands of miles away. Its certainly something to think about... perhaps disconnecting more often is both necessary and beneficial! Clearly I got my work done much faster that way. 

What are your thoughts on disconnecting from technology for a bit every once in a while? 

Have a great day! xox

Minimalist Chic

After making some observations on European and Scandinavian interiors I've realized that there is a different approach to designing a home here than there is in America. I've always loved the look of a layered home, one with a lot of detail and accessories and love to make the space just so. The Europeans on the other hand have a less is more approach to design. I have so say, as much as I love everything in the details there is something to be said about walking into a clean line and minimal home... I might call it a level of relaxation. No clutter, no excess, just simple clean lines and a lot of white pieces to soothe the eye. Even though the office above has very little going on I feel like it would be easy to focus in a space like that... simply put there isn't anything to distract the eye! 

I love this room as well. The white bedding is calming and serene and I love the way the bedding is made too! The rug adds a little pop of color and style and works well with the dressers that also serve as end tables... duel purpose means less furniture and therefore less clutter. 

Something about this space is so pleasing to me. Even though there is a lot more pattern going on, the lines and white throughout is clean. 

Another white and gold contrast going on here but with a little more color and pattern! 

What type of interiors do you prefer... layered to the max or minimal and serene? 

Fall Jacket Essentials

It seems like fall is officially around the corner in Copenhagen. We've had the most amazing weather the past couple of weeks and it seems like autumn days of rain and wind are coming soon. Even though the weather has been so nice, one thing I have noticed about the Copenhageners is that they have an insane selection of jackets and they never leave the house without one.

 Bikers tend to wear some form of trench coat, typically a long one to cover their legs but under their trench they usually have another form of jacket. I've seen plenty of people wearing wax jackets around, especially Barbours. The quilted jacket {usually with adorable elbow patches} is also a big deal here too. And at night, for going out, everyone has on a chic leather jacket. I really tried to limit my selection of jackets and I've realized that I probably should have brought more jackets and less of the same version of shirt over and over! Haha. 

I decided to round up a splurge, save and medium priced jacket selection that models what I've been seeing in Denmark so far! 

The Wax Jacket

Save - J.Crew The Downtown Field Jacket

In Between - Jack Wills Kendale Wax Jacket {I love the elbow patches!} 

Splurge - Barbour Beadnell Waxed Cotton Jacket

The Quilted Jacket

Save - Jack Wills The Longford Quilted Jacket {on sale}

In Between - Ralph Lauren Leather Trim Quilted Jacket

Splurge - Burberry Brit Quilted Jacket 

The Leather Jacket

Save- Asos Leather Biker Jacket

In Between - Asos Waterfall Jacket

Splurge - Elie Tahari 'Leah' Basket Weave Front Leather Jacket

What are your favorite options? 

Have a great day! xox

Monday's Motivation

Happy Monday everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! 

I've always been the type of person that tries to look for the good in people or find something positive in every situation. I will always remember my friends in high school and one of my field hockey coaches saying that they didn't know how I managed to find some hint of positive in everything. It actually became funny to them after a while because they would complain about something negative and I would say something like, "Well at least you learned..," or "In the long run you will be stronger." Don't get me wrong I'm not always Positive Polly, but if I can learn from an experience or know that I can change to make something better I will be positive about it or will try to make something positive.

I do know some people, however, who continually focus on the negatives. It could even be the littlest things... for instance my friend was telling me the other day that she had an okay night out because the place that she and her friends were dancing had okay music. To be honest with you I was rather flabbergasted... she was telling me that she didn't have a great night because of the music. In reality she didn't have a good night because she was clearly focused on the negatives no matter how inconsequential they were. Instead she should have been focused on what she had that was positive instead of being fixated on something so stupid. 

It really does come down to mindset and being positive and upbeat about as much as possible. People who tend to be positive and look on the bright side of situations can turn moments of adversity into a learning experience. 

Hope you all find the positive in your day! 

Flying By

Adorable home overlooking the paths of the Rosenborg Castle

Happy Weekend! This week flew by; I was traveling in Sweden with my class the first couple of days of the week and then got home and went to field trips with my core class again. Needless to say the week was filled with new sights, experiences and adventures. I posted some pictures and details over here, mainly of Sweden which I absolutely loved! Have any of you ever been to Sweden? 

I haven't spent all that much time online this week but I did enjoy coming home and reading the new issues of Lonny and Matchbook Magazines. 

My friends here also got me reading the blog 40 Days of Dating where two friends Jess and Tim decide to date for 40 days and they blog each day about it. We were reading to catch up since day 37 - 40 was posted a couple of days ago. 

This weekend is going to be filled with work, seeing as many outdoor sights as possible and enjoying some time in the beautiful weather before fall really sets in. 

What does everyone else have planned for their weekend agenda?