Give Them the Cold Shoulder

Summer is a time for all sorts of wonderful silhouettes and the cold shoulder style is definitely in this season. It adds instant drama to any dress or top and allows you to show a peek of skin while still keeping things classy. 

I not only love the cold shoulder on this dress, but the color and embroidered accents are amazing. The ruffles aren't too shabby either. The best part though? It's incredibly affordable! Unfortunately, it's sold out at the moment, but I've linked similar styles below. 

I'm keeping my accessories natural and neutral this summer with basket and straw bags and shoes. They are the perfect material for pretty much any summer outfit! What silhouettes are you loving this summer? 

Dress

Shoes

Bag

Adventures in Boston: Part 2

Happy Thursday! Jodi back again to tell you about the last leg of our Boston trip a few weeks back. To see the first part, click here. 

We wanted to see as much of Boston as we could in the little time we had, so we decided to walk the Freedom Trail. It's a walking tour and takes you all through Boston, hitting all of the historic sites along the way. It was the perfect (not to mention cheap) way to see the entire city! We took our time, but you could probably do it in a couple hours if you were really booking it. It could also take longer if you stop and go into all of the museums and side tours along the way. The website says it's only 2.5 miles, but I feel like we walked WAY farther than that. 

The tour starts in Boston Common, which is a beautiful park in the downtown area. We had a picnic lunch and then started at the beginning of the red brick line that dictates the Freedom Trail. 

I won't spoil the entire trail for you, but it was super cool seeing all of the historic sites situated right in the middle of all of the hubbub of modern day Boston. 

A few of the highlights of the tour for us were the old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Fanueil House, Paul Revere's House and the USS Constitution.

Charlestown was also an absolutely beautiful part of the tour. Talk about Instagram worthy houses! I basically wanted to move into every single house we saw!

We ended the tour at the Bunker Hill Monument and got an Uber all the way back to our Airbnb. We were exhausted and starving, so we decided to end our night on a high note at one of the delicious Italian restaurants in Boston's North End. If you're in Boston, you must try La Famiglia Giorgio's restaurant. They offer traditional, homemade Italian and all the carbs you can ingest. Absolutely delicious! 

We had so much fun on our quick trip to Boston and can't wait to go back and see more of what the city has to offer! Have you ever been to Boston? If so, what's your favorite part of the city? 

Palms Away!

We're all about palm print this summer. From shoes to dresses to wallpaper, we're loving the cheery tropical vibe it emits. I snagged this dress the second I saw it in early Spring, so it's unfortunately sold out. Don't worry, I've linked tons of similar versions at the end of the post, so all hope is not lost!

Not only is the print on this dress right up my alley, but the sheer flowy material makes it perfect for hot days, and making dramatic billowing entrances. After seeing how fun this looks with the wind blowing, I may just need to have a wind machine follow me around whenever I wear this from now on. 

To give the ensemble a retro twist, I paired the dress with bright lips, tassel earrings and crazy cat eye glasses. You could just as easily pair this dress with a no makeup face and no accessories for a simple beachy look. In fact, this dress is the number one item on my list to take on our upcoming beach vacation. Stay tuned for that in a couple of weeks! ;) 

Long live palm print!!!!

-Molly 

Photos by: Chris Yankey

Palm Print Dress (similar)

Tassel Earrings (similar)

Nude Heels

Sunglasses (similar)

Banana Boats

Last weekend my husband and I went camping with some friends and I realized it's something we don't do enough of! It really took me back to my camping days in Girl Scouts (of which I was a member for 9 years) from campfire songs running through my head as we hiked, to the fun packet meals we'd prepare in tinfoil over the campfire. One of my favorites was banana boats.

Whether you're the campfire type, or prefer to use a grill or fire pit in the comfort of your own yard, it can be really fun to move your meal prep outdoors when temperatures heat up! Obviously, s'mores are the go-to dessert for camping, but these banana boats are so easy to make and use most of the same ingredients, if you're looking to change things up. It's like a campfire banana split: you could totally customize them to your own preferences. Like banana bread, I think these are a bit better with super ripe bananas. They don't look as beautiful, but they taste more caramelized for this dessert.

All you need is:

a banana
chocolate squares or chocolate chips
mini marshmallows or halved marshmallows
aluminum foil
a fire/grill

Cut the banana lengthwise, leaving the peel on, and push ends toward each other to create a little pocket. Think of this like a banana baked potato. Press marshmallows and chocolate into pocket and wrap in a sheet of foil, keeping the filled side up. Place on grill or tucked on outer edges of campfire about 10 minutes until insides are totally melted and banana is tender.



Unwrap your foil (use it as a plate!) and enjoy! Feel free to sprinkle on any toppings at this point: chopped nuts, crushed graham crackers, or fresh berries. May induce campfire singing.

What are your favorite campfire recipes? I'd love to have more ideas now that we have our own fire pit at home!

-Molly

The Picnic

The Picnic from Book Club on Vimeo.

Our friend, photographer Chris Yankey, was snapping some new blog photos for us (can't wait to show you!!) and thought we might like to do a video as well. He's currently in the process of starting his own video company, Book Club, and masterminded this super fun promo video for us. Basically we're just totally acting natural on a typical Saturday. ;) Cheers!

Here Comes the Sun

Yellow is my ultimate favorite color, but I don't wear it very much. Well, I've been changing my ways this year and am trying to incorporate more color into my life and wardrobe! So, when I saw this yellow gingham midi skirt at Zara, I snatched it up. It's a bright, cheery shade of yellow, which is perfect for bringing a little sunshine into your life. 

It pairs so well with this ruffle crop top that I already have and that I've worn with lots of other brights colors here and here. I'm also really loving these straw lace up heels for summer. They go with almost everything and straw accessories are so in right now! 

Hope you're experiencing a whole lotta sunshine so far this summer! 

Photos by: Chris Yankey

Skirt

Top

Heels

Blush Colored Glasses

You could say I'm a little bit obsessed with blush pink. I have rose gold hair, my day-to-day purse is pink, I've got quite a collection of blush shoes and wardrobe pieces, I'm writing this post propped against a blush throw pillow, the list goes on.  It's not just me either: my peers have collectively made blush pink so prominent, it's been coined Millennial Pink. It's the neutral of our generation right now.

When I first colored my hair, I was hyperaware if it clashed with what I was wearing, and really tried to avoid wearing too much light pink. Maybe I've gotten used to the 'do, or maybe blush really does make such a nice neutral, but I'm kind of loving getting super matchy-matchy with it now. 

The second I saw this magical dress, I knew I had to have it. From the color to the tulle ruffles and bold bow around the neck, it's the perfect mix of delicate feminine and dramatic elegance. Since there was almost no difference between the dress and my hair color, I decided to keep the trend running. 

Pink-hued sunglasses and pink slides polish off the look so well and I feel as much like a character styled by a Wes Anderson costumer as I do myself. I always say there's a fine line between outfits and costumes, and I love experimenting and pushing those boundaries. 

How are you feeling about Millennial pink? Have you jumped on the bandwagon or is it not your thing? 

-Molly

Photos by Chris Yankey

Pink Dress
Earrings

Sunglasses (similar)

Slides

Adventures in Boston: Part 1

Jodi here! Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I went to Massachusetts for a wedding and decided to stay a few days after to explore Boston. I had never been to the New England area before and have ALWAYS wanted to go to Boston, so I seized the opportunity when it presented itself. We rented the cutest Airbnb (pictured below) in the South End neighborhood. We only had a couple of days to get in as much as possible, so as soon as we got into town, we set off on foot to explore the town. 

Our first stop was Frenchie, a wine bistro right around the corner from our place. Not gonna lie, I totally went in because they had the cutest French bistro chairs outside. I was so happy we stopped there though because it was beyond adorable, plus the food was delicious too! They also had a full wine list, which didn't hurt. ;) 

After lunch, we decided to hit up one of Boston's many museums because it was raining and cold. We chose the Museum of Science because we're nerds like that. There's a ton to see in the museum, plus so many other museums in Boston, so you're bound to be happy no matter which one you choose to go to! The Museum of Science has a ton of great activities for kids too. 

We stopped to change before dinner, then headed to Bell in Hand Tavern. This tavern is one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in America, so we obviously had to stop and check it out for dinner! 

Graham had the haddock and I had crab cakes over salad. Both were superb and so, so fresh. One of the best meals of the trip, hands down! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! 

And of course, we couldn't leave without trying the Boston Creme Pie! Afterward, we decided to embark on our own, self-guided Irish Pub crawl around downtown Boston. There are a ton of Irish pubs in Boston, but we only managed to get to a few before we threw the towel in and called it a night. We needed to rest up for the next day's tour of Boston's many historical sites. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Boston adventures next week!