Today’s the day, Lovelies! My closet feature is live on Vaunte today. For those of you that aren’t familiar, Vaunte is the hottest new luxury re-sale  site out there! They’re re-inventing fashion one fun closet at a time. I’m honored to be featured, and I hope you enjoy “shopping my closet” & getting a bit of a closer look into my fashion loves & must-haves!

Check it all out right here.

XO

Remember when I first told you about “Starving Artist” – The Chicago Artists Coalition’s Annual Fundraiser? Well, the event is fast approaching, and as an honored member of this year’s host committee I’m giving away 2 tickets to the party! To win, all you have to do is leave me a comment here, telling me what your favorite Chicago restaurant is & what you would wear to the Starving Artist party. Please, Chicago residents (& surrounding areas) only. This Giveaway will close on Friday, June 21st at midnight & the winner will be randomly chosen.

This is going to be THE party of the Summer – amazing art, incredibly talented chefs creating beautiful food, silent auctions, DJ’s spinning tunes to shake your bootay to, an epic “Taco Battle” between Big Star & Antique Taco….need I say more?! And it’s all for a great cause supporting up-and-coming local artists – so even if you don’t get lucky and win the tickets, you should get yours here & join the fun! I hope to see you there.

XO

Public’s Limited Edition Rivoli.

Public’s M8 in Orange.

Martone’s Women’s Real in White.

Martone’s Women’s Grand in Gold.

ABICI’s Granturismo Donna in Purple.

ABICI’s Granturismo Donna in Aquamarine.

Summer’s all but here…and that also means that biking season is in full swing!! I know that single-speed road bikes are still technically the “cool” way to get around, but I prefer to have a few extra gears and a comfy seat at my disposal – thank you very much.

Snubbing the custom-built, single speed bike trend doesn’t mean compromising on awesome design & style though! Brands like Martone, Public and ABICI are building beautifully designed & tricked out bikes that put my basic Schwinn model to shame!! I am dreaming of that gold/pink Martone bike on a nightly basis….and maybe, one day, you’ll see me cruising around town on that sexy beast!

Now that we’ve got the dream bike covered, stay tuned for next week’s selection of incredibly innovative & fun bike accessories! In the meantime, have a beautiful weekend, Lovelies!

XO

{On all fingers, except index fingers – OPI Monsooner or Later.  On index fingers – OPI I can’t find my Czechbook.}

Somehow this week’s color combo feels both French-inspired & nautical to me. This must mean that I should immediately head to France & get on Sail Boat for vacation, right?!! K, brb.

But seriously, this bright red by OPI is amazing. It’s so fresh & classic – it’s the perfect Summer red! Do you have a favorite classic red for Summer?

XO

Chicago People! Remember when I told you about this fun event coming up later this month?! Well, tomorrow evening I’m co-hosting an awesome lead-up cocktail/movie night at Public Hotel’s screening room. It’s free, cocktails will be served all night, and we’ll be showing a great movie – Exit through the Gift Shop.

Hope to see you there!! Please kindly RSVP to alexis@chicagoartistscoalition.org

XO

Rhubarb Season is in full swing…and it usually leads me to bake (& consume) large amounts of Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie! But not so fast. This year, I decided to switch up my routine a bit. I searched around for a yummy recipe using fresh Rhubarb – and Martha Stweart came to the rescue, as she so often does.

This “Buckle” – which is an old-fashioned term similar to a coffee cake or a crumble – is light, tart & sweet at the same time, and the crunchy streusel topping gives it a nice texture. I decided at the last minute to add some fresh Apricots to the Rhubarb mixture, but I’m certain that the Rhubarb alone would have been just as delicious!!

This Buckle is a perfect bring-along for casual dinners or as dessert for a picnic, and if you want to fancy it up a little, serve it a la mode with some vanilla ice cream! Find the recipe here.

XO

{All images by Miss Renaissance.}

… FreshandFoodie! Shoot me an Email with your details so I can get this baby to you! Thank you to everybody else who played!!

XO

I’m usually not one to share other people’s “work” for the purpose of humor, but I really just couldn’t help myself here!! The Prancercise is amazing….I mean, why do I drag myself to the gym or suffer through intense spinning classes when I could just throw on a comfy & fab outfit and Prance down the street/path/park and feel fab??! Joanna Rohrback, the mastermind behind the Prancercise, even has a book available here - in case you want to get deeper and make Prancercising a lifestyle. Happy Monday!

XO

Remember this Biz Spotlight from last year? Well, fast forward 9 months, and Elaina and I are becoming fast friends. A few weeks ago, Elaina approached me about shooting a video for her new series “Fashion to Fork” at my house & I was immediately convinced.

Little did I know that Elaina and her team would completely transform my living room, kitchen & roof deck into an amazing & magical vintage “Great Gatsby” fantasy world (my closet even made an appearance)! We had so much fun filming and prepping all day, and as you can see, we ate an amazing meal (with lots of bubbly) in true Boutique Bites style. You may even be able to spot me here & there throughout the video – I’m the blonde wearing a short, light-pink fringe dress.

Oh, and Elaina, any time you want to come over and transform my house while feeding me delicious food – feel free!

Have a wonderful weekend, Lovelies!!

XO

{On all fingers, except index fingers – Essie No More Film.  On index fingers – OPI Koala Bear-Y.}

Shades of blue are always a go-to for me. Essie’s “No more Film” is a beautiful, rich navy with a slight purple glow – it’s the perfect backdrop for a super bright pop of neon pink! Together, these colors are fun for the weekend without being too in-your-face. Just what the doctor ordered.

XO