Tag: Nikki Living Life

Love at First Bite!

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Everyone knows that the way to a person’s heart is through the stomach.  So, if you’re looking for a way to spoil your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, you have to start in the morning with this adorable breakfast idea.  This will set the romantic tone for the day leading to your evening plans. 

To make these heart shaped pancakes, I simply used a set of silicone heart egg/pancake rings from Amazon. You don’t have to limit yourself to heart shaped pancakes. You can also use alphabet cookie cutters to carve out a sweet message. The easiest way to make them is to cook your pancakes first and then cut the letters out of the fully cooked pancakes instead of pouring batter directly into the cookie cutter. The edges will be smoother this way.

You can make your pancake batter from scratch if you have a recipe you love, but boxed pancake mix works just as well. I love this Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Protein Pancake mix. For an extra special touch, garnished pancakes with Nutella and strawberries.

Are you going to give this idea a try? It will be love at first bite!

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine

Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020

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I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season and making beautiful memories to treasure for all times. I can’t believe that in a few short days we will be welcoming in the New Year. 2019 was a year full of ups and downs, wins and heartbreaking losses. As I reflect on this year,  I would like to thank you for all the love and support  you’ve generously given me.   Andy and I appreciate you all so much. We wish you an amazing 2020. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined.

P.S Hope you enjoy my round up of all my favorite posts of 2019. Click on pic title for full post.

Declutter & Consign with Covet Boston
2 Pieces You Need to Mix & Match Your Spring Wardrobe
Summer Stripes Styled 3 Ways
Happy Earth Day World
The Style Guide to Slip Dress
Summer Trend: Blazers and Shorts
Straw Accessories to Wear All Summer
Diwali Fashion
Working It!

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine

The Style Guide to Slip Dress

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Hope you Lovelies had an awesome weekend. Andy and I spent part of the weekend chilling by the beach and the other half getting chores around the house done. It never seizes to amaze me at the amount of laundry the two of us can generate. .  Speaking of clothes I’ve started to notice bloggers and influencers start to post more Fall inspired fashion. Just when I feel like I’ve settled into my summer wardrobe, it seems like it’s already time to start thinking about next season. I would love to have one cohesive closet that worked all year round but we all know that that is not realistic.

However, I am not despairing because I have a few pieces in my closets that I can still rock in the Fall and I bet you do too.  One of the pieces I am talking about  is the slip dress. This leopard print midi dress has become my go to dress for these hot summer days. It looks chic solo with great accessories but it can also be easily transitioned from Summer to Fall where  I can make multiple styles work with minimal effort. The spaghetti-strapped slip dress is a perfect layering piece. It can be paired with a t-shirt or boxy pullover sweater when the temps drop. The slip dress can also be paired with a blazer for the office or a denim or leather jacket for a weekend look.

Although the notion of a seasonless wardrobe may not be realistic I think I maybe wearing this dress for more than one season. So, lovelies YAY or NAY to slip dresses? And which of these ways to wear them do you like the most? Let me know in the comments below!

Photo Credit:  Andrew Swaine

Below are a few more slip dresses to style for Summer & Fall:

                           

Summer Stripes Styled 3 Ways

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There are some summery trends that really just make summer feel like summer when you’re wearing them. I am talking about stripes. Whether you’re coastal living or find yourself landlocked, stripes are the perfect way to add a touch of nautical to your summer ensembles.

What I love about stripes is that you can dress it up or down. Here are my 3 looks:

  1. Keeping it classic and chic in this French inspired black and white  look. If you only own one striped top, opt for the off the shoulder, three-quarter sleeve shirt in black and white or navy blue and white. The horizontal stripes are perfect to pair with shorts, skirts or pants.

 

2.  Keeping it cool and edgy in these wide-leg striped pants. They are perfect to remix all throughout summer.

  1. Keeping it simple and sophisticated in this super cute candy striped dress. Paired with espadrilles this look screams summer getaway! What I love about this dress is that it can effortlessly transition from the beach, to brunch, to walking around town, to dinner.

Hope some of these looks inspire your summer wardrobe. You’ve earned your stripes to give it a try.

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine

Below are a few more striped pieces under $60.00

                      

                        

 

Summer Trend: Blazers and Shorts

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If you’ve been following me for a while, you know how much I love blazers. I love achieving a mix of polished and playful looks with a blazer. If you love blazers just as much as I do, you too, can achieve the chic tailored silhouette by incorporating a fresh and summery vibe with some tailored shorts. The short and blazer combo has given a new lease of life to the suit trend that was everywhere in Spring.

Wearing a blazer with shorts can be a really easy look to pull off as long as you have the right type of blazer. I got this at H& M’s mark down sale for just $8.99. I love how it looks paired with a pair of white shorts and wedges. Giving my bare legs as much Vitamin D this season. I bet it would look just as good paired with darker colored shorts and sneakers. The fabric is lightweight and sits comfortably on the body, achieving a relaxed and effortless look. I chose a size medium so I won’t have a problem wearing it over a sweater in the Fall.

Test-drive the trend by scooping this (on-sale) stripped blazer also from H&M for only $13.99. Style it with jeans or a leather pencil skirt; the styling options are limitless. What to you think about the blazer and shorts combo?

                     

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine

Love is Love!

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Any day when the power of love conquers, you know I will be celebrating. Happy Pride Month Lovelies. Be proud – not only in June, but always. Stop letting other people define you. Be proud of yourself everyday in a world that tells you to be someone else. You deserve the love you give to yourself and worthy of the love you receive. You deserve to be comfortable in your own skin, living, loving, growing and creating your own story.

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine

Happy Earth Day World

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Although it is not a national holiday, Earth Day is celebrated on 22 April each year. This modern environmental movement was first celebrated on April 22 in 1970. It began when Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, suggested that April 22 be used for an environment education day. On Earth Day events are organized all around the world to help teach people how they can help our planet. It has been reported that over 1 billion people do something on or around Earth Day each year in an effort to help the environment. I will be doing my share by volunteering with various Earth Day community projects this weekend. One of which includes planting strawberry transplants into pvc pipes and hooking it up to an aquaponics system. I am totally geeking out!!! I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a Happy Easter weekend as well. I know those chocolate Easter eggs are eggciting but don’t forget to enjoy the beauty and wonder of nature when you’re egg hunting. 

Photo Credit: Andrew Swaine  ?

Happy Eco-friendly New Year

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Hello Lovelies,

This week was back to the hustle and grind for most of us. Hope  it was a great start to your new year.  I am not good at New Year resolutions so I never make them. However, I have been thinking of how I can make this year better. If 2018 has taught me anything, it’s that we need to take better care of our environment and be mindful of our way of life. So, this year I am going to be more aware of my carbon footprint. I am going to take personal responsibility for my impact on the planet. No more finger pointing, no more blame game, no more waiting for the world to change or waiting on others to take action for a sustainable future.

It starts with me. By making some small changes like:

  1. Carrying my own shopping bags and water bottle
  2. Composting my food scraps
  3. Upcycling and recycling more
  4. Cooking from scratch and buying local ingredients
  5. Walking more or taking public transportation

 Doing something – even if it seems small and inconsequential – is better than doing nothing.

I am proud to share my first DIY upcycle project  I found on the Oui Yoplait website.

Have you thought about how you are going to make 2019 different? If you have any upcycle or DIY repurposing ideas, please share in the comments below. I would love to learn a new craft. Thank you

Bye-Bye Summer

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I hope you Lovelies had an enjoyable  weekend. Here in the States we had a three day weekend because of the Labor Day holiday.  Andy and I decided to make the most of the long weekend by enjoying a picnic on the beach. We had some good laughs as we reflected on the past few months.

It’s almost time to bid summer adieu. Although summer does not officially end until September 22 we definitely feel the dip in temps here in Boston. I am sad to see summer go. I am sad  about all the summery outfits I didn’t get to wear enough,  the beach vacations and  all the seasonal festivities coming to an end.

I want to send August off in style by sharing a few of my best and favorite summer looks from the season.

I will miss the road trips and singing in the car with the wind in my hair.

What will you miss most about summer? Looking forward to reading your comments.

The tans will fade but the memories will last forever. Cheers to summer!!!