Emmy Rossum for Self Magazine

I was so happy to see Emmy Rossum modeling these great outfits in this month's edition of Self Magazine. It was refreshing to see these revamped classic pieces. This spread reminds girls to take risks in fashion, whether it's a scalloped lace long-sleeve paired with bright skinnies or sporting modern pleats. I love that she also nods to the newest spring trend: brights. Below is my favorite:

I'm loving those shorts!

What do you think? Would you rock any of these pieces?

ModCloth's Pinterest Contest

I was so happy when I saw that ModCloth was doing a theme contest on Pinterest! These are so fun to do and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. This contest is up and running until January 27th so head on over here to read more about it. Check out my board: here

Instagram Instants

Just a few photographs that I took on my phone over the past week:

one My beautiful necklace that was gifted to my mom from Italy. two We celebrated Alvi's little brother's 21st birthday and Dave & Busters. three Wristbands for Jack Jablonski, a local high school hockey player who was severely injured during a game. four Nothing better than a relaxing bath. five New hair! six The Cathedral in St. Paul seven pretty little wreath at the Markhams eight Fireplaces are necessary in Minnesota. nine Boyd enjoying his bed ten Minneapolis skyline. eleven St Paul skyline

Prep Once, Eat Healthy All Week Long

 Ever find yourself struggling to make dinner during the week? You might be too tired from a long day at work or maybe you aren't inspired to whip something up. I was happy when reading my Self Magazine last month and they had an article Prep Once, Eat Healthy All Week. I can honestly say that prepping saves my life. I typically go grocery shopping on the weekend and then plan out and prep my meals for the week. This way it's easy to eat on the go and helps me to eat healthy. Self Magazine made it EVEN easier for you - They gave you a grocery list, exactly how to prep everything and then recipes for dinner for the entire week. Smart, simple, healthy.

Mixtape: Ladies

source: imgfave

1. Dessa - Dixon's Girl

2. Tristan Prettyman - Shy That Way

3. Florence + The Machine - Lover to Lover

4. Adele - That's It, I Quit

5. Lissie - Worried About

6. Fiona Apple - Paper Bag

7. Jenny Lewis - Rise Up With Fists

8. Rihanna - You Da One

9. Sia - Paranoid Android

10. Duffy - Syrup & Honey

valentine's inspired

valentine's inspired by stellacharlie featuring a pale pink dress

Diane von Fürstenberg pale pink dress, £350
Charlotte Russe bootie boots, $23
Dannijo oxidized jewelry, £328
IMAN Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick Iman Red, $10
stila cosmetics - forever your curl mascara
butter LONDON Nail Lacquer - 3 Free Nail Lacquers - Nail Polish -..., $15

Shit Girl's Say...

Being the twitter-whore I am, I didn't hesitate to follow Shit Girl's Say's page. They tweet sayings that most women say on a daily basis. They are HILARIOUS and so true. Some favorites of mine are: "Rude.", "Am I hungry?", "He's going to be so hot when he's older", and "First of all, ew". I've heard all of these and more. Seriously, go check them out.

But, so they have made some videos (their first one is posted above) and it has become viral. It has also inspired various people to make their own take on the video. Below are some of those:

rachel bilson: style icon

rachel bilson: style icon by stellacharlie featuring christian louboutin pumps

Marc by Marc Jacobs silk blouse, $230
FAIR true striped skirt, £34
Christian louboutin pumps, €462
rachel bilson covers nylon novemberFull-Time Fabulous – Kristy |...

Instagram Instants

Nothing too exciting happened this last week, but I still snapped a few pictures on my phone. From right to left, top to bottom: 

picture 1: The long drive to my brother's house has one advantage: city lights.

picture 2: a photo from my #janphotoaday challenge on Instagram. This day was a "close up" of some beads on my mom's lamp.

picture 3: PROF TICKETS!!!! 

picture 4: the planning process of some paintings I'm working on

Golden Globes Fashion Re-cap

I could go on forever about the dresses at the Golden Globes. They are so, so, so fabulous! Can you imagine what it must feel like to be wearing something like that? I would die. I decided to choose only a few dresses that I liked instead of... the thousand that I liked. Luckily, the fantastic blog Fab Sugar had great photos.

1. Rooney Mara stunned in Nina Ricci dress from her Pre-Fall 2012 collection.

2. Reese really wore a lovely red Zac Posen dress paired with perfect bedhead.

3. It took me a minute to really appreciate how beautiful Evan Rachel Wood makes this Gucci dress. Her makeup and hair are perfection.

4. One of my favorite looks: Jessica Biel. She wore an absolutely stunning Elie Saab dress that looked so beautiful on her toned body and her dark hair. Amazing.

5. Emma Stone went a completely different way than her bleach-blonde, peach dress last year. This year she chose a burgundy Lanvin dress.

6. I can see why George Clooney chose Stacy Keibler to be his arm candy. She looked gorgeous in this red form-fitting gown. 

7. I'm in love with Mila always and it was no surprised that she wore a fantastic Christian Dior dress.

8. How effing cute is Michelle Williams? Her hair is basically the reason I chose her to be included in this but she also blew us away in this Jason Wu dress. 

9. Um, Dianna Agron and I need to be best friends. Not only is she the genius behind You, Me and Charlie but she also can pull of those red lips. 

10. Sofia Vergara would make anything look beautiful. She has the perfect body for this Vera Wang gown. The straight hair and simple jewelry are amazing, as well.

11. Um, remember Piper Perabo? Coyote Ugly right a bell? I actually gasped when I saw her. A. because where the hell has she been? and B. That this lavender-gray Theyskens' Theory is too. die. for. 

Red Bull's Crashed Ice

photo by: @bengarvin

If you live in Minnesota then I'm sure you were either at or watching Red Bull's Crashed Ice in downtown St. Paul on Saturday. They built a quarter-mile crash-course where skaters race to the bottom trying not to break any bones. The skaters could reach up to 40 mph! It was ridiculous... and cold. Us true Minnesotans bundled up in many layers and braved the cold weather to watch hockey players hurt themselves. Classic entertainment, right? It was well worth it, though. Not only was it awesome to see the entire set-up, lights, and some celebs like Travis Pastrana but it was held at one of the most beautiful places in St. Paul. The Cathedral is BEYOND gorgeous during the day, but lit up at night was breath-taking. My favorite part is Summit Avenue, which houses some of the most beautiful and historic buildings. I actually enjoyed the mile and a half walk from our car in the freezing cold (wearing moccasins because I wasn't prepared) because of all the pretty things to look at. Below are some pictures I took on my phone:

Here is a video from Red Bull's page. It shows you a little more about the event:

photo: @bengarvin

Craving Travel

I'm craving a vacation. I would accept a place ticket to ANY WHERE. I just need to get out of Minnesota for a few days and experience something else. Get away from all the chaos and hoopla that is my life these days. I've been privileged enough to get away at least once every year, whether a weekend road trip or a week long vacation. 

If you had the opportunity to travel any where in the United States right now, where would you choose? Me? It's a toss-up between a shopping extravaganza in New York or visiting the bay area in California.

Minnesota Gems part 2

I didn't learn about Sibley Park until my junior year of college. A friend of mine had gone their with an ex-girlfriend before and knew that I appreciated both nature and animals. Needless to say, I died. We spent an entire afternoon there the day that he took me. Since then, it's been a place that I love to go to get away and become with with... the world. It's a great place to read, go for walks, or just see all the different farm animals.

The Orpheum Theater is one of my favorite places in Minneapolis. The inside is so unbelievably beautiful. A few years ago I attended the broadway show Wicked there with a friend. It was so much fun. It's located in a populated area in downtown Minneapolis so you can grab dinner and drinks before. After if you're still looking for things to do there are plenty of bars and clubs around. 

Dinkytown is another popular are in Minneapolis. Dinky is crowded with college students since this is where most U of M campus buildings are located. There are a lot of cute shops and fun restaurants in this area. Another fun thing about this area is the history! The picture on the left up above is now a tasty restaurant called Loring Pasta Bar. But, it used to be a drug store with apartment buildings up above. It's most famous tenant is.... drum roll please.... BOB DYLAN. Dinkytown is also just a short drive from the Witch Hat Tower, which was Dylan's inspiration for All Along The Watchtower. 

I know I've talked about Soundset before, but of course I had to add it the Minnesota gems! It's a musical festival that is put on by Rhymesayers. The festival gets bigger and truthfully, more mainstream as the years go on. In fact, just this last year Big Boi performed here. It's a great place to gather with fellow hip-hop lovers to enjoy local talent and the Minnesota sun. 

Taco Salad Lovin'

I've always had a place in my heart for salads of all kinds, but lately this particular taco salad has been playing a pivotal role in my diet. It's extremely simple, but so beyond tasty. Depends on what I have on me but I either use lean ground beef or ground turkey.

Above I'm using:
2 lbs of lean ground beef,
1/2 c orange bell pepper
1/2 c red bell pepper
1/2 c green bell pepper
1/4 c onion, could use more but I only had this amount on me
1/4 c fat-free cream cheese (you could use more if you want it...creamier)
1 packet of low-sodium taco seasoning

I cook all of the above together and then place it onto of a bed of lettuce. Depending on how well I did eating-wise earlier in the day I will either add 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese or a dollop of plain greek yogurt (a tasty, healthy alternative to sour cream).

As of late

Anyone else hate that dreaded two-week long cold during winter? I know I do! It happens every single year for me. I catch a cold and can't seem to get rid of it. I truly think this is worse than having the bed-ridden flu. At least that lasts a few days of hell and you're over it. This? This is fight through your regular activities with a heavy head, stuffy nose, weak body and scratchy throat. Terrible, I tell you! Just when I thought I was finally getting over this cold it got worse. I'm actually sitting here in bed writing this while unable to breathe out of my nose, missing out on a great get-together with my closest friends! So upsetting but I would never have been able to make it through the night feeling like this.

Bleh. Here's to Kleenex, my latest boyfriend.

Ombre Hair Trend

Who has been loving the two-tone hair trend lately? I know I have! It's a fun take on highlights to me. I would never go completely blonde but sometimes it's nice to have those face-framing pieces of hair to have a nice glow. So cute in the summer when you have bronzed skin and refreshing in the winter when you need something to pick you up out of your hair blues. There are a lot of different interpretations of this trend. I like the blonde to be somewhat subtle to help from looking trashy. What about you? Would you rock this trend?

check out a small sample of my two tone here

Music Spotlight: Atmosphere

It was my brother who first introduced me to Atmosphere. They're a local hip-hop group consisting of rap artist, Slug and DJ/Producer, Ant. They have been around since 1989 and continue to create amazing music to this day. Slug, 39, has had some reoccurring themes in his music, which all relate to moments in his life. The themes consist of women, sex, drugs, alcohol, and life lessons.
I have numerous reasons why I enjoy Atmosphere's music. A big reason is because it makes me so proud to know that Minnesota can produce such talent! Slug and Ant have a large appreciation for their hometown state and often rap about the area. (Which is also fun, because you can yell "I KNOW WHERE THAT IS!" when they say She lived out in Richfield, right off of Portland.
Another reason that they are continuously being played on my iPod and in my car, is because of the great stories their songs tell. Slug is a lyrical genius! He captivates you with his words and then Ant keeps your entertained with his hot ass beats. It's... unbelievable. These boys deserve all the success in the world. This right here is true talent.

Home Sweet Home

Boyd and I have enjoyed being home, especially when we had our warm weather last week. We went for walks through the neighborhood and some local parks, which he looooved. He gets to run like wild man while I chase after him (looking equally as crazy). You really take for granted your childhood home and all the luxuries you had until you move away into the real world. It's nice to be back but I need to get back into my adult, busy life. No more post-graduation slump for this gal!

Art Studio Dreaming

I go through phases when it comes to painting. I might paint every day for two weeks straight and then I might not pick up a paint brush for an entire month. It's a trait of mine that I blame on my zodiac sign. I can never finish what I start! But, another contributing factor is that I don't have a great spot to create a mess. In college, I had to rely on my kitchen table. At home, I resort to my garage. Neither are all the exciting or inspiring. I feel like if I had a fabulous place to do my art that I would make something every day. If I had the opportunity to use any of the spaces above, I would never leave.

One day.... *sigh*

5 Things: Colorful Corridors

I would give anything to be able to own and decorate my own house right now. I'm always finding the most charming photos of people's homes that inspire me to no end. When the time finally comes to decorate my home, I will be so indecisive that it will probably remain unfinished until my children move out and I have to downgrade. One thing that must remain true in all of my rooms, though, is pops on pops of color! Loving these below:

those pillows

and because I'm feeling like extra inspired today I will through in a sixth image. 

Have a fantastic day :)