Category Archives: Blog

My Studio Apartment Tour

This post is long overdue but oh well. I’ve received many questions about my studio apartment tour in the Everygirl (mostly about my pink ikat rug!), so I wanted to share a few more photos and provide some of the sources too. My favorite place to shop for my apartment is Home Goods (and Craigslist too), so a lot of those things can’t be sourced. But if I left out anything, leave me a comment and I’ll tell you where it’s from.

Cupcakes for Breakfast: studio apartment tour – dressing area

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour

I love my little “dressing area” when I step out of bed onto a soft flotaki rug.

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – parsons desk and lucite chair

Desk | Ghost Chair | Notebooks | lamp

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – parsons desk and lucite chair

When I actually do sit down to write at my desk, it’s a fantastic place to work. But let’s be honest, I’m mostly blogging from my bed or couch.

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – window sill

Blogs and Coffee print | framed Missoni pansy fabric | framed yearbook cover

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour

Kitchen Aid Mixer | Apron | Measurement Print | my own lemon paintings

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – hot pink kitchen aid stand mixer and cart

My mixer’s name is Ruby and she’s fabulous, isn’t she?

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – Ikea expedit shevles

West Elm Tray | Home Goods wine rack | Crate & Barrel champagne flutes (old) | Paper Source paper that I put behind some of the cubes | my own art

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – Ikea expedit shevles, table, and chairs

Ikea Table | Chairs | Bookshelf | Bar Table from Home Goods which I spray painted gold

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – orange couch

My apartment is never this clean btw! Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – Nikki Rappaport

Ikat rug | Flokati Rug | Duvet

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – Nikki Rappaport

A wall of windows really provides great light in my apartment and makes it feel so much bigger than it is.

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – pink ikat rug

French pillow | Coffee table and side table: found on Craigslist | Couch: passed down from a friend | Gray fleece chairs: Bloomingdales from the 1980s | metallic pillows from Urban Outfitters (old)

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour

For my wallpaper entry, I tore out full pages of magazines with images I love – food (the fired chicken photo might be my favorite), fashion, interiors, cute boys, colorful designs – and using double sided tape, I put them up in rows. I think there’s about 150 pages up on the wall. I can easily remove one image if I find another one I like.

Also, how embarrassing. I forgot to clean up that messy area above my fridge where I store bags of chips and pans. Oops. :)

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour – kate spade eat cake for breakfast

Kate Spade tote

Cupcakes for Breakfast: DC studio apartment tour

If you haven’t already, head over to the Everygirl and read more about my apartment.

Oh, and if you want to see something hilarious, check out this post from 2009 where I share some photos from my then brand new apartment. It feels nice to look back and see how both my apartment and I have grown.

Girl About Town on the Glitter Guide

I’m so thrilled to be on the Glitter Guide today having cupcakes and lattes with you at Baked and Wired. DC has so many cupcake shops, but if you’re going to get just one, go get the strawberry cupcake at Baked and Wired. Trust me. Find out all the other things I love about Baked and Wired over on GG!

I wanted to share a few more of my favorite photos from the shoot from my fab photographer Sarah Gerrity. There were so many fun ones to choose from! Sarah also has a gorgeous food blog, Sweetsonian, so get over there too and browse all the beautiful things she makes in the kitchen.

Now, why don’t I have a cupcake and beautifully swirled latte right in front of me?

Cupcakes for Breakfast: Featured on the Glitter Guide at Baked and Wired in DC Cupcakes for Breakfast: latte at Baked and Wired in DC Cupcakes for Breakfast: espresso at Baked and Wired in DC Cupcakes for Breakfast: cupcake, glitter jcrew notebook, laptop, iphone

Photos by Sarah Gerrity

Figuring it Out: Victoria McGinley

Time to bring back Figuring it Out – and with a blogger whom I admire so much! Victoria McGinley of vmac+cheese is great inspiration. She works so hard and crafts her work into something really special for herself and for her readers. I’ve gotten to know her a bit and I adore that she genuinely cares about building community and helping others succeed. I also love that blogging is a big part of how she figures it out and even inspired her to start her creative services business Vivaleur.

figuring it out with Victoria McGinley of vmac+cheese

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Journalist
Doctor
Visual Merchandiser
Graphic Designer
Dancer
Marketing Executive
Lawyer

What do you do now? Is there anything on your list you still want to do?

Now I’m a full time blogger, blog consultant, and graphic designer. I look at the list and have to laugh. Some of those things aren’t interesting to me at all anymore (and with a few of them, it’s because I tried it!)

What inspires you?

Person: I find I’m most inspired by people (especially women) who are whip smart, well read, fearless, strong leaders, funny, risk takers, and dynamic, and can do it all with a sense of style, flair, and self.
Brand: I’ve kind of been a J.Crew girl since about age 15, so I guess I’ll choose them. They are pretty fantastic at reinventing themselves!
Flavor: Food with lots of varying textures.
Color: Warm tones — blushing peaches, oranges, reds
Music: I’m a self-professed music dunce. But I like listening to Coldplay and lounge-y stuff like Federico Aubele, Zero 7, Thievery Corporation
Artist: With the advent of the Internet and e-shops, too many to even list!

When did you realize something you liked was actually one of your passions. What did you decide to do with it?

That’s kind of the way I feel about the entire blogging gig. A hobby that requires you to be creative, write well, hone your graphics and photography skills, stay up to date on the latest happenings in culture, connect with other women, help them when you can, and be part of a community of people who have the same interests as you? Um, let’s make that a JOB, not a hobby!

figuring it out with Victoria McGinley of vmac+cheese

Tell us about a risk you’ve taken in the process of figuring it out.

I think quitting my job last year was a pretty big risk, although I think I had taken the necessary steps to ensure it wasn’t a stupid risk. I’d saved money for months, had written a solid business plan, established a small client base, and probably most importantly, gathered support from friends and family.

What are the biggest obstacles that you have overcome to get to where you want to be? And if you aren’t there, what are your fears in getting there?

Getting out of my own way. Sometimes it’s so easy to get caught up in your own head, considering all the what ifs and what abouts. The best way to get anything done in your own life, whether it’s a small errand or a major life overhaul, is to just roll up your sleeves and get to work. I think once I stopped wanting things to change overnight, ironically, I was able to see change more quickly.

How does blogging help you figure it out?

Blogging is such a great platform to experiment. I can try new ways to approach content, learn more about the industry, and then share what I’ve learned with other people. Not only that, blogs provide such an excellent network of friends and supporters. I can’t imagine life without it!

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Read all Figuring it Out features.

2012 Favorite Posts

2012 was a fantastic year and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to share it all on my blog, on twitter, and through photos on instagram. Before we head into the new year (and I get to finally write all these posts I have in my head!) I wanted to share some of the highlights from this year. Can’t wait for 2013!

Washingtonian what I wear to work

I had my first real style post with the Washingtonian’s What I Wear to Work feature. Maybe next year I’ll start doing more of these!

election cake map

I made an electoral cake map with my friends and we spent election night filling in the states with red and blue frosting. *Reminder: must trademark cake stencils before 2016!

side by side pink polka dot

These Side by Side posts may seem simple, but they’re some of my favorite posts to put together. I especially love this pink polka dot one!

pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies

I loved these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies – and so did you. Some of your other favorite dessert recipes: pumpkin cupcakes with brown butter cream cheese frosting, lemon ricotta cheesecake bars, sweet oatmeal cream pies.

Hot-Pink-and-White1

I love the color pink! (But you already knew that.) I made several pink posts this year but these are my favorite: Hot Pink & White, Flooded Pink, Garden Party, Deep and Dark Pop of Pink, Rainbow Sherbet.

The Everygirl studio apartment tour

My apartment was featured on the Everygirl! (What an awesome way to end the year!) I know I haven’t gotten around to it yet, but I promise a post soon with more photos and details of where everything is from.

Finally, a few of my other favorite posts from this year:

Things I’m Afraid to Tell You – what a great blogger project to be a part of.
Figuring it Out – can’t wait to continue this series in 2013!
Let’s Get A little Intimate – real talk about bras and boobs.
Galley Kitchens – inspiration for my tiny kitchen.
Guest Posts – I hosted so many awesome bloggers on two guest post series this year! Check them out for beautiful Valentine’s and summer vacation inspiration.

I’m seriously excited for 2013! Happy New Year!

Figuring it Out: Alex Yeske

I’ve been loving the feedback and conversation about this series. I’m glad this is a topic we can all share. It’s just good to know we’re not alone in the whole “I have no idea what I’m doing with my life” thing. Today’s interview is with the sweet and talented Alex Yeske of Jeans + Dreams. Her blog and aesthetic is refined and fun and I admire how she ambitiously values networking with people you admire. That’s something we can all do more of to get where whenever we want to go.

Figuring it Out with Alex Yeske Dreams + Jeans

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

a waitress at a restaurant I could roller-skate in
teacher
architect
interior designer
magazine editor

What do you do now? Is there anything on your list you still want to do?

I am a graphic designer at Madewell and do a little bit of freelance design work in addition to blogging. I think I would still love to do any of the things on my list, except maybe not the roller-skating waitress – not sure I have the coordination for that!

What inspires you?

Person: it’s a cliche blogging answer, but Jenna Lyons. I have interviewed with her and attended meetings with her, so I can honestly attest to her inspirational nature, amazing fashion sense and sharp intelligence.
Brand: Loeffler Randall – everything they do is amazing and I love their branding
Color: always black + white. love a pop of coral and chartreuse too.
Music: The Head & The Heart, Foster the People
Artist: Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, de Kooning

Figuring it Out with Alex Yeske inspiration

Jenna | Loeffler Randall | Ellsworth Kelly

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When did you realize something you liked was actually one of your passions. What did you decide to do with it?

Growing up I was always interested in fashion, but never thought I could actually be a part of it without being a fashion designer. I admired a lot of brands and wished that I could work for them and it wasn’t until I got into branding and graphic design that I realized I could actually take my skillset and get into fashion that way.

Tell us about a risk you’ve taken in the process of figuring it out.

I can’t recall a large risk, but I’ve taken lots of small risks throughout my internship and job hunting process. I wasn’t afraid to put myself out there and reach out to people who had jobs I admired and it ended up paying off in most instances – my current position is a direct result of hard networking!

What are the biggest obstacles that you have overcome to get to where you want to be? And if you aren’t there, what are your fears in getting there?

For where I am now, I’d have to say one of the biggest obstacles was making it through my intense design program at Syracuse. It’s design bootcamp and you either sink quickly or learn how to swim. It’s such a difficult major to get through but so rewarding in the end because we have such a unique skillset compared to other graphic designers graduating from other programs.

Looking down the road, I have a lot of ideas of new things I’d like to do and projects I’d like to explore. My fears are definitely of failure, but at the same time I have fears of not doing these new things.

How does blogging help you figure it out?

Blogging helps me figure it out by allowing me a place to record my thoughts and interests, as well as meet and network with others who share similar goals and ideas. It’s a great testing ground too to see how things resonate with readers that can inform future decisions. Blogging helps me stay in tune with all of my goals outside of my day job and graphic design – it helps me not lose sight of my other dreams.