Easley Winery, Lockerbie Square, and a Paris Sweater

cute fall outfit 2012

Paris Sweater C/O Oasap, Gap Jeans, Oxford Shoes from Nordstrom, Handbag Heaven Bag

easley winery indianapolis

paris sweater eiffel tower

cute fall outfit 2012

lockerbie square indianapolis

cute fall outfit 2012

cute fall outfit 2012

On Saturday, we rang in fall in the best way possible — a day spent with friends!

Chris and I met up with Karin and Ryan to have lunch and then tour Easley Winery in downtown Indianapolis. We did a tasting and tried seven of their wines and then spent the afternoon in the sun, listening to live music, and sipping on a glass of our favorite wines from the tasting. It was the best!

I had to wear my new Paris sweater (which is seriously the softest sweater I’ve ever felt) from Oasap because touring a winery and sipping Cab with friends seems like a Paris thing to do.

After parting ways, Chris and I went to Lockerbie Square to snap these photos. Lockerbie is the oldest surviving neighborhood in Indianapolis, and its historic homes and cobblestone streets are gorgeous. I want to go back when the leaves are turning and take the walking tour. I hear the poet who wrote Little Orphan Annie lived in Lockerbie, which I think is pretty cool because Annie is my favorite musical :) .

How did you ring in fall?

paris sweater fall outfit

Brugal Rum Punch — Treat Yourself Tuesday

Woah. I’m really mixing things up here, foregoing the usual Trinket Tuesday for a new feature: Treat Yourself Tuesday. The truth is, a girl can only have so many trinkets (before entering hoarder territory). There will still be Trinket Tuesday features whenever I acquire something new, but until then I hope you enjoy these weekly ways to treat yourself to something special!

Now that Chris and I are nearing our one year wedding anniversary, we’re both feeling pretty nostalgic about the wedding and our honeymoon to the Dominican Republic:

punta cana honeymoon

Our honeymoon was the best week…ever. So to remember a taste of the DR a year later, we got a bottle of Brugal rum, which is one of the most popular rums in the Dominican Republic. (And rum is the national drink!) I found this recipe for Brugal Rum Punch – and boy is it tasty! It’s sweet, fruity, and will remind you of any tropical vacation.

brugal rum punch

brugal rum punch

brugal rum

Mix one up and treat yourself this Tuesday!

Bubble Tea

striped maxi dress

striped maxi lace up back

lace up back maxi dress

vintage turquoise necklace

blackberry vanilla bubble tea with blueberry pearls

What I wore: Tote C/O Scout by Bungalow, Striped Maxi from Lesley Jane, Sam Edelman Sandals, Vintage Necklace

Where I wore it: On Sunday, Chris finally convinced me that we need a new lens for our camera, so we headed to Robert’s Camera and he got a lens that he’s been eyeing ever since we got our DSLR. He couldn’t wait to use it, so we went to Carmel and walked around. He took photos, and I got a blackberry vanilla bubble tea with blueberry pearls (YUMMM).

I’ve been saving this pretty maxi dress for a special occasion, but as summer is nearly over, I decided I need to wear it before it’s time to switch to heavier fabrics and fall hues. I love the lace-up back and colors of this dress, and its stripes looked fun with my Scout tote!

Is it just me, or is this week dragging? An upcoming three-day weekend always seems to do that. I am ready to welcome fall (and cooler weather!) with open arms.

Bar Cart, Revisited — Trinket Tuesday

vintage glass bar cart

spirits glasses / vintage olive picks / bar tools & ice bucket / depression glass plate / wine glasses / champagne glasses / shaker / martini glasses / rocks glasses / decanters / margarita glasses / tumblers / bitters / kahlua / mama juana

what to put on a bar cart

what to put on a bar cart

I already featured our bar cart on here, but it was before we had our nice camera and there have been a couple updates and additions since then!

In case you didn’t see the post the first time, Chris and I searched high and low for a vintage cart for a long time. They weren’t particularly hard to find, but they were all so expensive. We finally found this metal, wood, and glass cart at Midland for the right price.

Since we moved to our new apartment, the cart sits in our dining room, and it’s perfect for entertaining. Admittedly, we don’t usually have too much liquor on hand, but when we have people over, it’s fun to stock the cart with whatever beverage our company likes and to use our nice glassware for entertaining them. Our hope is to one day have a special nook in our house to keep the cart (particularly on a hard floor…it’s precarious rolling this Lenox and Riedel-filled cart around on carpet!).

Anyone else have a bar cart or a special place for storing glassware?

San Pellegrino Limonata Margaritas

san pellegrino margarita

I like the occasional margarita, but I really don’t care for those bottled mixes that are so sugary/sweet/tart. And sometimes I really don’t feel like juicing 5 limes to make a drink. It felt like I found gold when I discovered that San Pellegrino Limonata makes a margarita that tastes like a fresh-squeezed margarita without the work.

Here’s how I make San Pellegrino margaritas!

san pellegrino margarita ingredients

Ingredients for one drink:

  • 1 wedge lime
  • Salt
  • Ice
  • 2 ounces tequila
  • San Pellegrino Limonata (One can makes two normal-sized margarita glasses of drink)

Cut a slit in the lime wedge, and run the wedge around the edge of the margarita glass. Run the edge of the glass through salt. Add ice to the glass, and pour in the tequila. Fill the glass with the San Pellegrino, and garnish with the lime wedge.

Enjoy!

4 Things I Tried this Week

I like to take note whenever I try something new. Even if it’s something as small as trying a new food, that’s one more experience under my belt. Here are a couple things I tried for the first time this past week:

buy flowers for yourself

I bought flowers for myself – Chris is good at getting me flowers for special occasions — and sometimes just for a nice surprise — but I’d never bought a bouquet of flowers for myself. This pretty bouquet was $1 on manager’s special, so I snatched it up! I don’t think there’s a more cheery way to liven up our apartment than fresh flowers.

homemade mojito pitcher

I made from-scratch mojitos – I made this pitcher of mojitos on Saturday totally from scratch! I’ve had mojitos before, but have never made them myself. I boiled my own simple syrup and used fresh mint leaves that I’m growing. They were delicious!

fresh mango

I bought and cut mango – I’ve had mango before, but I’d never bought my own at the store and cut it at home. It was so good, but I’m not sure how people get those perfect mango slices! I had a hard time getting the fruit off the pit.

wade in the creek

I waded in the creek in a dress – I’ve waded in creeks before (not too much though), but I hadn’t ever waded while wearing a dress. I felt like Anne of Green Gables or Laura Ingles Wilder. It was fun!

Have you tried anything new lately — big or small??

Life Lately in Photos

TGIF! This week went by so fast. I don’t even know what I did. One evening I had the pleasure of having dinner with Karin at Sonic. Yes, we got mozzarella sticks AND jalapeno poppers. I’ve also been a busy bee working on bachelorette party invites for Vanessa (more on those bad boys later).

This weekend, I have a few things I need to do. First of all, TAXES. I tell people EVERY weekend that we’re doing our taxes, but then there always ends up being something more fun to do. Well, we’re getting to the point when they NEED to be done. (Notice my excess use of caps. Obviously, this is stressing me out.) Also, I need to finish making bachelorette party invites and get ‘em in the mail!

So, looking forward to a productive weekend, here’s my week in photos:

orange and grey necklace

A new necklace I can’t wait to wear.

san pellegrino orange

My new favorite sparkling drink.

casual tee and scarf

Just a casual outfit after work.

patterned scarves

Patterned scarves. It’s an obsession.

hermes the cat

Not sure what it is, but this guy has been a ball of fire the past couple days.

Have a fabulous weekend!

French 75 — Thirsty Thursday

Happy almost weekend! To get you prepped for your upcoming days off work, I’m going to share my new favorite cocktail recipe: French 75. I made these for Christopher and myself for Super Bowl Sunday. This gin/lemon/champagne drink is refreshing and delicious!

French 75 recipe

First (because I’m a dork),  a brief history of the French 75: It was invented in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris. The drink was given its name because it gives such a kick that it feels like you’re being hit with a French 75mm hand gun (the first modern artillery field piece, used during WWI) — don’t say I didn’t warn you! Here’s the recipe:

french 75 ingredients

Ingredients: A dry champagne like a Brut, gin, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, ice, a drink shaker, champagne glass.

juice a lemon

How to make it (makes one drink): Juice a lemon. Add to your drink shaker: 1 1/2 ounces gin, 3/4 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce simple syrup, and a couple ice cubes. Shake it!

french 75 recipe

Strain this mixture into a chilled champagne flute.

how to make a french 75

It should look something like the photo above!

french 75 champagne

Top the drink off with chilled champagne. I used inexpensive champagne.

french 75 recipe

The more chilled all your ingredients, the better.

Enjoy!

Friday Favorite Moments

Once again, TGIF! Although this week has trotted by, I am ready for the weekend. I’ve been a bit under the weather all week, so I’m ready for a relaxing weekend of sleeping in, cozying up with Christopher to watch movies, and sipping some piping hot tea. To get the weekend started right, I’m going to share some of my favorite moments from this past week:

tulle and trinkets elle and blair feature
My first favorite moment is VERY exciting! The lovely Youtube vloggers, Elle and Blair Fowler, highlighted Tulle and Trinkets on their website! They chose five bloggers to be featured in their Blogger Member Spotlight, and Tulle and Trinkets made the cut! A screenshot from the post is above, but see the rest of the feature here.

the local restaurant Indianapolis

This past weekend was “date weekend” for Christopher and me. On Saturday evening, we went out to a lovely dinner at The Local, an amazing Indianapolis restaurant that serves fresh and local food. They get a lot of their ingredients from Indiana farms — and I think that is so cool. And their food is DELISH.

bouquet of flowers

To start date weekend off right, Christopher was a total sweetheart and got me these pretty flowers. Fresh flowers do amazing things to raise spirits during winter’s gloom!

kroger sushi

So let me start by saying I”m very skeptical of sushi. I was convinced I didn’t like the stuff because A) the texture is weird and B) eating raw seafood gives me the creeps. BUT, I’ve discovered that there are certain kinds of sushi that I really like, including California Rolls.

valentines day craft supplies

I have been crafting a lot this past week, making homemade Valentines for all the special people in my life! Stay tuned for more on that later.

teavana infuser steeping tea

Christopher got me this Teavana infuser for Christmas, as well as some loose leaf chai tea that I have really been enjoying.

hermes the cat

And lastly, have you ever seen such a goofy cat? I captured this classic Hermes moment the other night. Hermes likes to lay with his hind legs sticking straight out behind him. I’ve never seen a cat lay like that — and it’s hilarious!

Old Fashioned Recipe — Thirsty Thursday

I’m no mixologist, but I can make a mean Old Fashioned — and Christopher can vouch for that! Whiskey isn’t my favorite liquor, but the Old Fashioned is one whiskey drink I can enjoy because they’re not too strong nor sweet.  Through trial and error, Christopher and I have come up with this recipe that we both enjoy:

old fashioned ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon bar syrup. See my recipe for it here
  • 1 ounce whiskey — Evan Williams is Christopher’s go-to, but his favorite is Basil Hayden
  • Club soda
  • 1 maraschino cherry
  • 2 orange slices
  • Ice
  • Old fashioned glass

Directions

Muddle together the bar syrup, maraschino cherry, one of the orange slices, and just a splash of club soda. Remove the orange rind from the glass. Add a shot of whiskey to the muddled mixture and stir. Put some ice in the cup and fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Stir. Add the second orange slice to the drink as garnish.

old fashioned drinks

Yum! Enjoy this drink on a cold winter’s night in — or it would look beautiful on a Valentine’s dinner date spread!

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