Roma 2013: Gelato

I am no gelato expert, but I love dessert and can tell if its good or not. Over the past couple weeks I have had only three servings of gelato- pretty weak... The first night I had really nice and thick chocolate gelato, then I had  mint chocolate chip gelato near the Vatican- it was so thin and did not have any real substance to it. But tonight was the night for gelato. After making dinner, me and my roommates decided that it was time to grab gelato. Tonight we walked to Campo dei Fiori, an awesome place with a market in the mornings and the best dried strawberries you will ever eat!  On one of the streets leading into Campo dei Fiori is a Blue Ice gelato shop. Blue Ice is a big chain gelato restaurant in Roma. I then picked out three flavors: one scoop of vanilla, one scoop of mint chocolate chip (my all time favorite), and one scoop of Ferrero Rocher (my all time favorite candy- nuts & nutella is a match made in Heaven). To say the least, my sweet tooth will be satisfied, at least for tonight.

I am sorry that I am very terrible with outfit posts and fashion things, I will try to keep you all up to date soon! Ciao!

Limited/Unlimited Roma 2013

Sorry for being so bad with this blog. If you didn't know, I am in ROME!!! I am having a blast and will be sad to leave- but hey, its not for another three months.  I have seen so many things, the Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, etc. and there is still so much to see and do! I am on the hunt for amazing pizza and gelato, so if anyone knows of any, comment below!

Today my friends and I went to an exhibit called Limited/Unlimited and it showed around twenty beautiful dresses by top notch designers! Here are some pictures of dresses by Ellie Saab, Versace, Giorgio Armini, and so many more! (It was really dark and I wasn't sure if I would get yelled at for using flash so sorry about some of the picture quality!)

I will try to keep you all updated!! Ciao!!

Cozy Sweater & Mani Pedi

I head out to Rome on Tuesday so I am super busy getting some homework done (70 Hours of drawings!!), packing like a beast & jut making sure I have everything i need; converters  & adapters, etc..

Tonight is my friend's birthday therefore I am going to hang out with her and have some fun!! I will definitely try to get a post out of what I am packing for a four month to help any other people with their study abroad or long vacation experiences!!

Have a great day & HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITLYN!!!

Gap Moto Sweater {no longer available} Similar Moto Sweater | Garage Jeans Similar Jeans

 If I have time to show you my clothes for Rome, I will show you my awesome new oxfords!!

Essie's Real Simple

Reversible Pillow Case

 If you have been reading my blog, you know I am going to live in Rome, Italy for 4 months! I decided to make a little pillow case that can double as a seat when I go around Rome and draw the beautiful architecture. One side is gray fleece, perfect for the plane to sleep on, the other side is a pretty outdoor canvas for the streets of Rome! Here is what you'll need if you wish to make a reversible pillow case!

• sewing machine
• 12" x 16" travel pillow
• two different fabrics-- both were 18" wide by around 48" (you have to cut these in half to make the two faces of the case)
• thread (I used white)
• needle (regular sewing needle to finish seams)

 1.  I started off cutting my pieces- They are 18" x 24" (its a lot bigger than you actually need but I will be adding a strap to have it hang off of my bag)
     I laid the pieces on top of each other (good sides facing) then sewed all four sides; leaving space to turn it right side up and then finished it with a hand sewn seam (nothing too pretty)
     You do this twice (your pillow case needs two of these that will be sewn together next)

2. With both pieces done, I now put my two outdoor canvas' good side to good side & sew three sides around. Now you will have a seam on your other side; which is pictured in the middle picture above. 

 Now that is it! Just put the pillow inside & you are good to go! 

I will be putting a little snap strap on this to make the excess fabric stay down & use the strap for easier carrying through the city of Rome! 

Comment below if you have any questions!

Cranberries & Roma

Banana Republic Tank {No longer available} Similar Tank Similar Tank | INC Straight Leg Jean {No longer available} Semi-Similar Jeans | Nine West Boots {not pictured/could not find on web} Similar Boots | Charter Club Bracelet Similar Two-Row Bracelet | 

I will be living in Rome for four months & I definitely need to start packing... However, I just don't really want too. I start piling things on my bed to "organize" what I will bring, though it looks like a mess. I will eventually figure out what I'm bringing, maybe the day of my flight? I also got an app on my phone called Stylebook where you can take pictures of your clothing, organize packing lists, keep track of measurements, & plan outfits for certain days. This app does a lot! It is a little tedious to take pictures of ALL your clothes & accessories, but for someone who likes to have everything organized & have your entire wardrobe at your fingertips, its definitely worth it! I'm planning to start taking pictures this weekend. It is really weird putting all your clothes out & really viewing them, I realized I have a lot more style & clothes then I thought I had.

Below are some pictures of things I plan to take in my one large suitcase & my carry-on(s) for my future in Roma for 4 months!

Essie's Real Simple

I swear I am a lot more organized than this, at least in my head.... 

Christmas Present!

Black Crew Neck; Jeans (Similar); Scarf (Similar); Watch; Camera

  

This Christmas I got a Nikon DSLR D3100 from my parents-- so expensive but a birthday/Christmas present for the next several years. I really love it! I am learning how to use this beauty, but as of now I know how to take pictures & video, turn the flash on/off, zoom and that's really it.... oh well I will try. I'm super excited since I will be living in Rome for four months and this is the perfect gift to capture every moment!! I will be working on this blog during that time, showing you all the sights of Rome & Italy!

Anyway, this is my outfit on the last day of the 2012! And sorry about the messy room, it's a lot cleaner now... maybe..

Happy 2013!

Essie's Case Study

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have neglected this blog for an entire semester and now it is time to start it back up!

Above is Essie's Case Study which I got for $4.00 on clearance at a spa on Black Saturday! In the bottle it looked a lot lighter than on my nails. But its a very pretty brown-tan color.

I hope you all had a great holiday & New Years and hope to see you back here soon!