Building Terrariums

I’m just one of those people who tend to get fixated on hobbies. I love trying new ones and perfecting old ones (see: macarons), and if you talk to any of my friends, they’ll probably be able to tell you what my current one is. Because I never stop talking about them. Like, ever.

Maybe it’s because I live in the city and have somewhat limited access to what most people would consider “nature,” but when I saw a few terrariums popping up on design websites that I liked, I knew I had to look into them. I love that terrariums can look like a mini oasis — they can range from beautifully landscaped mini gardens to more simple planters, and can even be customized to be fun and whimsical. It turns out that there are many specialty florist shops in the city who sell beautiful pre-planted terrariums. It also turns out that said terrariums are not cheap. My roomie gave me the beautiful hanging glass planter above for Christmas, and I promptly killed the adorable air plant she bought for it (guess I should have researched a little more… oops). So this week, I decided to start fresh and use this great kit that I purchased on Etsy to help me put together some new ones.

Putting together a terrarium is actually really simple once you have all of the materials gathered. You just layer small stones in the bottom of the container, followed by activated charcoal (easily found in gardening stores) and soil. Then, you just arrange your plants as you like! For the pill-shaped container that I bought, I decided to try out another air plant which doesn’t need any soil. For more on planting your own terrarium, check out this great video on Design*Sponge.

Ladylike Inspiration

And yet again, it has been months since the last post here on City Coeur. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write, it’s just that life has become rather busy — but all for good reasons! This long weekend was nice and restorative for me, even though I spent much of it packing for my upcoming move (more on that later!). Here’s a quick outfit inspired by ladylike style with a fun summer twist!

I love this classic marinière tee from Comptoir des Cotonniers (who better to interpret this French classic?). If you look closely, you’ll see that the blue stripes are studded with tiny white polka dots! C’est adorable. The bright blue jeans add a pop of fun, and even better — they’re on sale for just $12.50 at Uniqlo this week! The Edie bag from J. Crew is such a perfect ladylike shape, and I’m completely sold on the sugar-sweet pink color. A cheery yellow scarf from Kate Spade is the perfect accessory to add anywhere — around your neck, in your hair, or even tied to the strap of the bag. Finally, I’m a bit of a sucker for peonies so this beautiful arrangement by Olive & Cocoa looks like the perfect thing to spruce up your apartment on a sunny afternoon.

Fashion Flashback: ELLEgirl

If you are a 20-something lover of style now, chances are that you spent a good deal of time reading teen fashion magazines when you were younger. And chances are that one of those magazines included ELLEgirl. Unfortunately defunct now (all that remains is a website that is a shadow of the former publication), ELLEgirl was quite the magazine in its heyday, and I was obsessed.

Specifically, I loved the Global Girl section included in each issue. For a girl growing up in the burbs where “style” equated to “Abercrombie & Fitch,”, the glimpse into fashion in other parts of the world was pretty fascinating to me (this was before the days of street style blogs, mind you).

Of course, there were more than a few misguided pieces of advice. Take, for example, this DIY article with instructions for recreating runway looks at home. I sincerely hope that not too many of us wore masks draped over our shoulders or color guard-worthy ribbons around our waists. If nothing else, at least it maybe inspired some creativity for someone.

If you are interested in re-living the awkward days of the early 2000s (or noughties, as we apparently call them?), before Brandon Holley was at Jane or Lucky, and before Gwen Stefani discovered Harajuku, you can find an impressive archive of the magazine on Google Books. What were your go-to magazines as a teen?

Screen captures from Google Books

Recipe: Cauliflower Steak

If you’re looking for a good, hearty alternative to a big juicy steak, well… this recipe is probably not for you. I was intrigued by the idea of a “cauliflower steak,” so I had to test it out myself to see how the idea held up. The result wasn’t bad, but make no mistake — the shape of this dish is the only steak-like quality it has!

You start by slicing a full head of cauliflower into about four “steaks”. Then, you whip up a quick tomato sauce and a tapenade-style relish before browning your cauliflower steaks on the stove top and then baking them through in the oven. Assemble everything on a plate, and you’re good to go. I also topped mine with a crumble of feta cheese to give it a little creamy balance.

Overall, I enjoyed this as a hearty vegetarian dish. This is essentially a roasted cauliflower dish disguised by a clever name I did really enjoy the relish, and I think it would actually be nice on its own on a toasted piece of baguette! Let me know if you try this one and what you think!

Comptoir des Cotonniers Spring 2012

Were you a part of the great Jason Wu for Target debacle this past weekend? Hopefully not, because the scene at my local store on Sunday morning was not pretty. I mean, the women screaming and fighting and calling each other unsavory names kind of “not pretty.” I managed to nab a few dresses and a handbag, but I refuse to play dirty for clothes from Target. Or from anywhere, for that matter. I’m a lady, for goodness sake!

Jason Wu’s capsule collection was inspired by an “American girl in Paris”, which is funny because the new spring collection from Parisian boutique Comptoir des Cotonniers is inspired by two French girls on a road trip in California! Go figure. I love that Comptoir has a blouse with a sweet little bow at the neck, just as Jason Wu did for Target. I really love the clothes at Comptoir for their great fit and perfect balance between simplicity and a unique je ne sais quoi! Also, their boutiques in Manhattan have the most lovely, helpful sales assistants who know juuuust how to style everything in a way that makes it difficult for me to leave empty-handed. Here are a few great looks from the Spring 2012 collection (you can see the full lookbook here)!

Cardamom Macarons with Rose Buttercream

Last weekend, we got our first real snowfall in New York (well, if you don’t count that freak day of snow that we had way back in October)! I really love the way the city looks with fluffy flakes of snow falling, but when it turns to slush? Count me out. I’d rather stay inside than to trudge through puddles of dirty, half-melted snow. Unfortunately, that happens all too quickly here, so I spent my Saturday afternoon doing what I do best — baking macarons!

Voila — I give you the Cardamom Macaron with Rose Buttercream! Definitely one of my favorite flavors to date. Cardamom is one of those beautiful, warm spices that goes perfectly with a cup of tea. I’m testing out my recipes and trying to decide which flavor to teach at my very first Macaron Class in a few weeks! I decided to finally put my passion to the test and see how good I am at teaching others how to make these testy little cookies! I’m doing so through Skillshare, which is an awesome website where people who have hobbies that they want to share can set up a class and market it to people in their area! I’ve taken Skillshare classes in the past and have had a lot of fun, so I’m really eager to teach my own! My first class is totally sold out, but I have a feeling I’ll do this again since the response has been great!

Also pictured here are the rad nails that artist Naomi Yasuda did for me. I’ve been going to Naomi for a few years now when I want something fun on my nails, and she never disappoints! She uses Calgel, which is a soak-off UV gel that lasts for about 2 weeks on me. She works out of Hello Beautiful salon in Brooklyn a few days a week, so you can call there to make an appointment with her!

Film Inspiration: Pierrot le Fou

Like any good Francophile, I enjoy a classic Godard film once in a while. Last weekend I curled up to watch Pierrot le Fou, the story of a man who leaves his wife to run away with a former fling. Of course, things get complicated when she turns out to be living life on the run, smuggling weapons and committing murders… but who doesn’t like a bit of adventure?

Marianne, played by the lovely Anna Karina, sure does have great style for someone on the run. I found it amusing while I was watching the movie (which was released in 1965) that her entire wardrobe could still easily be worn today without looking like you were in a time warp! Here are a few pieces that you can use to get her look:

Bright Bottoms: This bright blue pair of cropped jeans would look great with a plain white t-shirt and a necklace — or style it à la Marianne with a captain’s hat if you’re feeling ambitious!

Ladylike Pastels: A pretty pink slip dress with a soft, light blue cardigan is the perfect way to look inconspicuous. Just don’t forget to wear flats in case you have to climb down a drainpipe!

Menswear Separates: A perfectly tailored pair of dark red plaid pants paired with an army green jacket creates a look that’s equally chic and tough.