Thursday, July 30, 2015

Scotch Toddy - ready in 2 minutes

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The UK theme continues! Here is a recipe for a Scotch Toddy which is basically a boozed up cup of tea. I found this Scotch Toddy recipe online and made a few notes and modifications below. Note: other recipes I found online don't use a teabag, they just use hot water, honey, scotch and lemon juice. For that variation of a Scotch Toddy, click here, or for a super fancy one, click here. (Does anyone know what the most authentic version is? I think I need to ask a Scot!)

What you'll need:
1 mug of boiling water
1 tea bag
1 shot of Scotch Whiskey (commonly known as just scotch)
1 tbsp honey

Directions:
In a standard coffee mug add the scotch, honey and tea bag. Pour boiling hot water to fill mug. Steep for about one or two minutes. Then remove and dispose of tea bag. Drink up!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Wednesday Wishlist

Wednesday Wishlist



Hi everyone! I hope you're all having a great week. Happy hump day! It's Wednesday so you know what that means, it's time for another Wednesday Wishlist. Here are some things I'm currently loving. I swear this Topshop dress was out of stock in my size but it looks like they restocked? So I'm pumped about that! I might have to get it!
 
Also, do you guys follow me on Instagram? Check out @mapleandmint for updates on my UK adventures :)

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

5 Lovely Links (Scotland Version)

Hi friends! Today's the day! SH and I are heading to the UK! We're taking a flight to London where we will meet up with my parents and spend a few days. Then we're off to Scotland - I've never been! I studied abroad in London one summer when I was in college, but have not been back to Europe since. I can't wait. In honor of our upcoming trip I thought I would make this week's series, 5 Lovely Links, Scotland themed.

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1. What to Pack for a Trip to Scotland - (super important right?!) read it here!

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2. What to Wear in Scotland - similar to above but with more in depth tips.

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3. 50 Fascinating Facts You Should Know About Scotland - great read! Love the trivia.

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4. The 23 Most Wonderfully Scottish Things That Have Ever Happened - hilarious list from Buzzfeed. Might be NSFW (due to language/innuendos. Don't read if you're offended by that sort of thing.) #7 shop-name war is my favorite!

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5. 10 of the Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Scotland - amazing! Check out the article here.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Instagram Roundup - July

Hi lovelies! Happy Monday! This past weekend was jam packed- I took a Red Cross first aid class on Saturday (for 5. hours. Super long! But now I am CPR, AED, and First Aid Certified for children and adults, yippee!) Then most of Sunday was spent packing and cleaning and getting ready for my trip. Didn't have time to do an outfit shoot so I figured I'd do an Instagram roundup of my July outfits :)


Slides: J Crew (were sold out, but now many sizes back in stock AND 40% off with code SUMMERSALE) | Jeans: Joe's Jeans (similar here) | Lip color: Bobbi Brown in Dusty Rose (my fave!)

Flats: Sam Edelman (army no longer available, but many other cute colors) | 
Top: Splendid (also love this one) | Capris: J Crew (also love these)

Skirt: eShakti (Use code: mapleandmint for 10% off your purchase! Good through 8/13/15) | Flats: Halogen (it looks like the snakeskin ones are sold out but
 I also love the pale pink!) | Bag: Ballenciaga

Dress: Gap (similar here) | Flats: Steve Madden (also love these)

Shirt: J Crew (similar here) | Capris: J Crew | Flats: Halogen

Thanks for reading! 

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Egg in a basket - ready in 10 minutes

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My new favorite breakfast food to make is Egg in a Basket!! It's such a fun and cute way to make eggs. I used this recipe as inspiration, and made my own notes and modifications below.

What you'll need 
1 slice of bread of your choice (I love potato bread)
unsalted butter
1 large egg
salt and pepper
ketchup (if you like it on your eggs)
hot sauce (if you like it on your eggs)

Directions: 
Cut a 2-inch round from the center of the bread. It doesn't have to be perfect. Make sure it's big enough so the egg can cook well but not so big that it touches the crust and breaks/cuts into the outer edge of the bread. Butter a nonstick skillet. (I usually just rub the butter stick over the pan lightly until the pan is covered. Turn heat on to medium. Place the slice of bread on the skillet and ad a small dab of butter in the center (about the size of a small nut.) Crack the egg into the hole. Cook until golden brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Flip the toast/egg carefully. Cook the second side until golden brown also, or however you like your eggs cooked (about 2 minutes for a slightly runny yolk, longer if you want your yolk cooked.)

Transfer the egg in a basket to a plate and season with salt and pepper. I also like to put ketchup and hot sauce on my eggs. You can toast the rounds and serve those too if you'd like. Use fun cookie cutters for the hole if you want to make it more festive.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Floral Midi Dress + New Bag


Dress: June & Hudson (sold out) | Boots: Sam Edelman (on sale!) | Bag: Balenciaga | Watch: Citizen | Bracelets: Alex and Ani, Kate Spade (on sale!), Pura Vida, Bauble Bar, David Yurman | Ring: David Yurman | Earrings: Nordstrom Rack (less than $10!) | Necklace: Gorjana 

First of all, let me talk to you about this bag. I have wanted a Balenciaga Classic City bag for forever, but they retail for $1835, and who has that kind of money to spend on a bag?! (Well, not me.) So when I found this bag on Threadflip for almost 86% off... imagine my excitement!!! I knew I had to have it! I'm super happy with it. It's a gorgeous bag and although services like Threadflip do their best to check authenticity, I made sure to authenticate it by watching this video which is super helpful and I recommend to anyone trying to spot a real Balenciaga vs. a fake. For those of you who don't know about Threadflip, it's an online service that lets you shop and sell pre-loved items with brands like J. Crew, Louis Vuitton, Free People, and unknown brands, too. I have fallen completely in love with Threadflip. I LOVE a good bargain and I'm selling my closet on there now too! Look me up! My username is @mapleandmint :)

Now about this dress. I saw this open front/tie midi dress on Nordstrom.com when I was browsing the Nordstrom sale and knew I just had to have it! It's unfortunately sold out now :( but if I find any similar ones I'll link it for you guys because I seriously love it! I wore this to my birthday dinner with SH last night at Sugarfish (okay I swear that's the last birthday thing!) and we had the most wonderful time, I just love love LOVE Sugarfish, seriously the food was so good I don't even know. Nothing else to say it was just amazing!!

Last thing: I'm completely in love with these fringe ankle booties, and they are onsale now for just under $110. If you get anything from the #nsale this is my top pick! Seriously they are so comfortable and I've already worn them two days in a row to work because I freaking love them! I walked around all day in them and didn't have a single problem. They are so comfortable, man I really feel like Sam Edelman just gets me because all of his shoes are so comfy.

Sorry these pictures are kind of dark, we took them right before dinner so the sun was kind of setting already and makes me look tanner than I am, ha!






Dress: June & Hudson (sold out) | Boots: Sam Edelman (on sale!) | Bag: Balenciaga | Watch: Citizen | Bracelets: Alex and Ani, Kate Spade (on sale!), Pura Vida, Bauble Bar, David Yurman | Ring: David Yurman | Earrings: Nordstrom Rack (less than $10!) | Necklace: Gorjana 

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Top 25 moments of being 25

*Hello beauties! Since I got everything I wanted for my birthday... ;) I decided to skip this week's Wednesday Wishlist in favor of another kind of list! Read on for more info! XO*

My friend Molly is one of my favorite people in the world. She is bright and happy, compassionate, empathetic, funny, and feels and loves deeply. The list of qualities I love about her goes on forever! One thing in particular I love about Molly is her ability to create and find joy in moments. And isn't that what life is, anyway? A collection of moments? Some of my favorite memories with her are us just walking around our downtown neighborhood or getting coffee. Simple. Simple moments. (Also one time we did a photoshoot in her room of us getting dressed up in silly costumes. That was great, too. We should probably find those photos!)

Molly inspired me to make a list of my top favorite moments of being 25 which I think provided a great opportunity for me to celebrate the "little" things in my past year, like a great slice of pizza, and also the "big" things, like a vacation or party with friends. So here is my list. You'll notice once I got started I ended up going way beyond 25! I wanted to share it with all of you and hope it inspires you to create your own list of favorite moments. 

So here's to 26. May it be a year of big and little moments, one where I slow down to appreciate the short time we all have on this Earth, one where I treasure my friends, and relish in great food, great company, great adventures, and nights in, too. (I've already starting creating my list of top 26 moments of being 26 ;))


Top 25 Moments of Being 25


1. 25th Birthday in Seattle, doing the food tour of Pike Place Market
2. Catching the fish at Pike Place Fish Co.
3. The amazing crab cakes and pie at Etta's
4. Taking pictures of the beautiful flowers on Whidbey Island
5. Fiesta Hermosa
6. Doing a blog photoshoot at the Lighthouse
7. Celebrating my and SH's one and a half year anniversary at the Mistfit and eating pumpkin pie at Urth Caffe
8. Starting my new job
9. Pumpkin carving with friends at SH's and watching the engineers do it with power tools (lol)
10. Going to SH's house in Illinois for the first time
11. Going to an apple orchard in Illinois and getting the most delicious apple donuts 
11. Meeting a lot of SH's family for the first time (brother, brother's wife, grandma, two sisters, aunts, uncles)
12. Going to Chicago for the first time and going up in the tallest building when it was super stormy out
13. Having real Chicago deep dish pizza
14. Going to get massages with my mom at the spa
15. Celebrating my dad and SH's birthdays together at our house in the bay! With mocha cake!
16. SH and my grandparents coming for Thanksgiving and us trying to play BANG! (board game)
17. Doing a blog shoot with Molly during the holidays!!
18. Camping at Jalama Beach in Janaury
19. Going to the Christmas Tree Burn in the desert in January
20. Brunch at the Good Stuff
21. Cookie Con
22. Meeting SH's airplane for the first time (Frankie!)
23. Going to see Wicked at the Pantages (SH's Christmas gift)
24. My dear friend Angela coming back to the states and our first meal together celebrating!!
25. When my cactus started blooming at work in February and I would look outside my window every day and there would be new buds!
Visiting my dear friend Charlotte in San Francisco!
Ang's bday at Sugarfish!
Going to dinner with my favorites Kelso and Andrew at Diablo in Silverlake
Starting making Plated meals and feeling competent in the kitchen (Making the empanadas was the highlight!)
My first flight with SH in his airplane
Two year anniversary with SH at the Little Door
Utah to go skiing
Going to the shooting range and shooting a 50 cal
Simply Stylist Fashion and Beauty Conference at the Grove
Hosting Easter at my apartment with my parents and friends
My mom's beautiful Easter eggs she made with flowers
Getting my hair cut at Spoke and Weal
Dinners with my parents and SH
SH flying my dad in his plane
My cousin coming to steak and cake
The LA Times Festival of Books
My dear friend Molly getting engaged!!! My reaction! AH!
Megan's Bridal Shower!
Mother's Day dinner and ice cream run
Downtown date with Ang (brunch, flower market)
Game of Thrones marathons with SH
Watching live music in Nashville
Sushi Time dates with Ang
Seeing the new Jurassic Park movie (twice)
Going to the Rose Bowl flea market with Tabatha and finding SH a vintage airplane stapler!!
Julie's birthday - Taco Tuesday!
Dinners with Ashley in Hermosa and watching her pregnant belly grow!! (And buying the baby gifts!)
Starting volunteering again with horsies and kiddies
Megan and Kenny's gorgeous beach wedding!
Flying to camping and having the whole campsite to ourselves
Seeing the Back to the Future event at the Hollywood Bowl
Alyssa visiting from Arizona!! (meeting her bf, and her doggie)
Dinner at the Fat Dog LA
Eating really good chinese food
Watching the women's world cup
SH's sisters visiting from Illinois!
Eating the best gelato ever on the Redondo Beach Pier
Going home for my (pre) birthday weekend
Going shopping at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale with my mom
Having the best birthday dinner with my best friends and parents
Watching Trainwreck with SH
Throwing a birthday brunch

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

5 Lovely Links

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1. It's Always the Quiet Ones: People Who Talk Less Really are Smarter - read the article here


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2. 60 Life and Love Lessons Only Millenial Moms Can Teach Their Daughters - loved this list!
3. I have a huge girl crush on Cara Delevingne and can't wait to see her new movie - read more about her road to acting here
4. LAX now allows Uber and Lyft pickups (yay!) - article here

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5. Cheating Scandal in India which leads to mysterious deaths - great read 

Monday, July 20, 2015

Birthday Brunch - My Apartment


Hello everyone!! Happy Monday! Today is my BIRTHDAY!! For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know that I celebrated my 26th birthday a little early with my family and friends up in the Bay Area two weekends ago, and it was so lovely. I felt so celebrated. I'm lucky enough to say that the birthday festivities continue, and yesterday I hosted a birthday brunch at my apartment in LA. I feel so grateful that I have wonderful people in my life (in both places.) It's you guys that make my life so special and make me feel truly excited to have another birthday.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped me celebrate and made me feel so loved. It's the people in my life that matter the most- my family, friends, SH- without all of you I wouldn't experience such happy days. Thank you :)

Here are some pictures from the brunch. It was about 110 degrees in my apartment (we are having the weirdest weather here in LA- super muggy rain/heat) so we took a few pictures before the food was served and then gave up.

My romper is from the new Cupcakes and Cashmere line for those of you who follow Emily (love her) and I'm completely in love with this romper. (I sized up FYI. You can find it on Shopbop or Nordstrom. I also ordered it the day the line came out and picked it up in store for those of you wondering how I snagged one in the right size- I know they've been selling out like crazy!)

Pink Carnations

Champagne Flutes

Gift from my sweet friend Angela


Her ridiculously beautiful calligraphy

New Kate Spade earrings- I love them!




Thursday, July 16, 2015

Chocolate Chip Blueberry Waffles - ready in 20 minutes


SH and I love making waffles together on weekend mornings. It's one of our favorite pastimes (and helped inspire the name of this blog, maple and mint!) We like this recipe, and I've made a few notes and modifications below.

6 servings

What you'll need:
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberries (for filling and to sprinkle on top)
Chocolate chips (for filling and to sprinkle on top)
Powdered sugar (to sprinkle on top)
Non-stick cooking spray 

Directions
Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in a large bowl with hand beater (or a whisk or fork) until fluffy. Beat/ whisk in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.

Spray preheated waffled iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron (use a measuring cup to help!) Sprinkle in chocolate chips and blueberries as you like. Cook until golden brown (or until waffle iron goes off!) Transfer to plate and sprinkle powdered sugar and extra blueberries and chocolate chips on top. Serve hot with lots of butter, maple and faple syrup nearby.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Macbook Air + Kate Spade Handbag GIVEAWAY!!


I have teamed up with some amazing bloggers to bring you this fun and fab giveaway! As always, we appreciate all of you so much, that's why we regularly do giveaways to reward our wonderful readers and followers. One lucky reader will win this 13.3 silver Macbook Air worth $1,199 and a Kate Spade tote/baby bag that you can use as a carrier for your Macbook Air and carry it in style wherever you go. The total value of the prizes is $1,600. Open to international contestants but international winner will be responsible for shipping and custom fees. Just scroll down to the GLEAM widget below to send in your entries. Good luck!
 Macbook Air + Kate Spade Handbag

My #NSALE Picks


Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks


Hi friends! Happy hump day! If you haven't been to the amazing Nordstrom Anniversary Sale that's going on you need to go! Early Access ends tomorrow and the sale is open to the public on Friday! These are my top picks from the #nsale (I scooped up those flats in the neutral snakeskin color and I'm pretty much obsessed.) Also, how perfect are those Kate Spade sparkle studs for the holiday season? Think I'll keep them tucked away until then ;) We head to Scotland in a few weeks and I can't wait to bust out my fur vest, flannels and boots to kick off fall a little early. Happy Shopping!

PS. Stay tuned for a fab giveaway that will be up later this morning! Trust me, it's one you won't want to miss!


 

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