A little neon for the weekend...

Pucci

Thrilled to bits that people are finally reveling in brights as much as I do.

Armani. Dream. I should have been born in the 80s.

Oh wait...I was...well, you know what I mean. Like, senior prom 1989 channeling Kelly Kapowski.

Armani

Mulberry. This is pretty much my perfect outfit.

And this one too. Give me an accessory that looks like it's been attacked by a highlighter and I'm aaaaaalllllllll over it.

This one isn't super bright, but it's certainly one of the most lovely, delicate yet uberstylish dresses I have seen in a long time. Rachel Roy is behind this gem. Imagine with lots of delicate necklaces, or a feather earring, stacks of bangles...or as is - simple, pretty, and not overdone.

Have a lovely, bright weekend everyone!

xoxo Sheridan

Swimsuits for Curvier Gals

I was looking through my May issue of Cosmo and saw an article entitled, "Perfect Suit, Perfect Price." Sweet! Flipped right to it. (I'm *always* on the hunt for a cute swimsuit). I get to the page and there are sixteen cute bikinis...perfectly suited to size 2s and 4s. Great, but what about the curvier gals? I continued flipping and the following page was entitled, "Curvylicious! When you have cleavage or booty to spare...our picks are the ideal solutions." Cool. I was wrong. Then I looked at their curvylicious examples: Bar Refaeli and Kim Kardashian. Ummm...huh?

This just a stab in the dark, but I'm going to guess neither of these two gorgeous ladies has any trouble finding a suit that looks great on them. I went to my stack of saved magazines and did a swift hunt for swimsuit articles aimed at all shapes and sizes. I took a tally to keep a record of how many I came across. Here are the results:

Drum roll please... a whopping zero.

Now, this isn't to say that magazines never feature bathing suit articles aimed at all sizes (like, real sizes and not "celeb" curvy sizes) as I know I have come across one or two in the past, but truth be told, this is rarely focused on. So I went to my trusty friend, J.Crew, and came up with some fantismo options.

If you feel comfortable and confident enough to wear a bikini, go for it! (I'm so about girl power...what can I say, I grew up with the Spice Girls) These high-waisted ruched bikini bottoms are marvelous and will hide a multitude of sins. Wear a matching color set, or pair up a darker color on your bottom half (so it fades away), and a bright, more powerful color on your top half, so more attention is brought to it. Unless you want attention drawn to your gorgeous gams, then flip those color choices.

If you would rather opt for a one piece, don't select a solid colored suit that is one strip of flat fabric going along your tummy. You should never EVER do this unless your name is Gwen Stefani. Either select a suit that has ruching or some sort of fabric detail along the midsection, or select a print that hides any pouches or bulges that we would rather keep under wraps. The last two suits are by Zimmermann from Net-A-Porter.com, and mucho dinero, but they are perfect examples of beautiful detailing that can camouflage bumps and ripples until the cows come home.

No matter what your shape or size, there IS a perfect swimsuit for your body; never forget, though, that your best asset will always be confidence.

xoxo Sheridan

Janie & Jack's Sweet Seaside Style

Head over to Nursery Notations to see my latest children's looks. Very cute nautical inspired theme by Janie & Jack!

Spring Sandals 2010

I don't know what's gotten into me. As I was looking through page after page of countless websites to select my favorite spring sandals, rather than being drawn to the crazy neon colored ones, as per usual, I kept drifting towards simple neutrals. Out of character for me, but right in step with the camel trend that is fast approaching though, so I'll run with it! So, here are my most favorite spring sandals (with a little jolt of my usual brightness/shininess/rock n' roll glam meets gypsy thrown in towards the bottom).

The great thing about these styles is that the vast majority can be found in a much less expensive version... I included two of Target's most recent Miss Trish styles to demonstrate that good style does not need to break the bank. I bought two Miss Trish for Target pairs last year and they have held up great. How can you possibly pass them up at $24.99?! You can't. Get them asap though as they sell out very quickly online and in stores.

Miu Miu. Amazing. I would wear these if I were helping out Indiana Jones.

Tod's. Nice and refined. Would go well with some tea and scones.

Tory Burch

YSL. Hot. I could channel J.Lo in these puppies.

Sigerson Morrison - but look how genius the next pair

of gladiators is...

Belle by Sigerson...not in the mood for a full on gladiator?!

Keep reading...

Poof! Calf bit removes and you have a gorgeous gold sandal.

Like I said - genius.

I'll be wearing these Miu Miu's in my dreams

with the Miu Miu East-West Pailette Satchel. Can't wait.

Oh and these too.

Alexander McQueen.

Guiseppe Zanotti.

Ok so your first thought might be, but wait,

I never go to KISS concerts.

Imagine these with a fancy cocktail dress though - ubercool.

Yes.

Trust me.

Hello Mr. Louboutin. Nice to meet you. My name is Sheridan. I'll get straight to the point: Marry me?

Balenciaga heartsies.

Now for the fun part: Target! I mean look at these - they're gorgeous.

I just ordered the black coral ones...

will let you know how they are in person...

To me they are such a throwback to old school Kate Spade. You could get at least TWENTY pairs of these for any one pair of the above shoes. Puts it in perspective, doesn't it? Bargain.

Oh Miss Trish. You're so bueno.

As much fun as sandal talk is I must get on with the day... Chocolate chip oatmeal for breakfast, anyone? Yeah I don't know what it is either but Costco says it's food. And Costco rules. Therefore chocolate chip oatmeal = completely balanced healthful breakfast with lots of antioxidants and omega-3's and Vitamin D. Scrummy.

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo Sheridan

Images courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, and Target.

I've died and gone to heaven.

Miu Miu East-West Paillette Satchel.

$1495 at Bergdorfs. Sad day.

Working on a post about the best sandals for spring...coming tomorrow.

xoxo Sheridan

Adventures in Baking - Part 1

Ok so before I tell you about how the chocolate cake from my post the other day turned out, a sweet friend of mine from London - think Kate Winslet from the Holiday - asked me to contribute a post to her blog, Girl on a Mission. How flattering! She wanted me to write about an easier transition from exercise to office. Head over to Girl on a Mission to check it out and support her in her goal of good health!

Now - THE CAKE. I amended the recipe a smidge as I did not want to include garbanzo beans. Instead of beans, I substituted 1/2 c of organic unsweetened applesauce, and ground 1c of sliced almonds in a coffee/nut grinder. I also added 2t of organic vanilla extract, and used a combination of dark chocolate and mint dark chocolate. This is how it went:

Ingredients.

I nearly convinced myself to stop here and just eat the chocolate.

Spilled almonds everywhere...really wishing I had just inhaled the chocolate.

It was already melted so we resorted to polishing off the maple syrup:

Totally his idea not mine.

Regroup and finish mixing. YUM.

Into the oven it goes........

40 minutes later it was ready and perfect! Fluffy goodness. I chilled it immediately.

Finished product:

It is SO GOOD y'all. I seriously recommend making this. Stat. Go forth and bake!

My New Roots

Today I am letting you all in on a veeerrrrrry special secret: a blog called My New Roots. Bookmark it now as one of your daily reads. Started by Sarah Britton, My New Roots is devoted to focusing on the concepts and benefits of organic foods and holistic nutrition. While pursuing her degree in design art, Sarah became fascinated with the positive impact of nature and the power of natural design. The only downfall, in my opinion, is that she only creates vegetarian dishes. I am completely against NOT eating meat for HEALTH reasons. (Throw Skinny Bitch in the trash and pick up The Paleo Diet or The Vegetarian Myth. Trust me.)

I am in a major chocolate mood today so I want to share a recipe with you that I have yet to try, but it looks amazing. I am going to try to substitute the chickpeas for something else - again, read about Paleo to see why - but for now I will let you all try the recipe as is. Apparently it is super fudgy and moist in the center with a chocolate-power punch, and you’d NEVER know was gluten-free, and sugar-free!

Chocolate Fudge Cake with a Secret
Ingredients:
8 oz. / 225 gr. High-quality, organic dark chocolate, melted
3 TB high-quality organic cocoa powder, plus some for dusting
zest of one organic, un-waxed orange (optional)
1 can (or 1 1/3 cup) garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup applesauce (or 4 egg, if you eat them)
1/2 cup date syrup (or maple syrup)
1/2 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder

Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350F / 175C. Lightly grease an 8” bundt pan or spring form pan with a little coconut oil (or ghee or butter). 2. Mix beans, eggs, date syrup, orange zest and cocoa in blender until smooth. 3. Add melted chocolate and blend until well mixed. 4. Transfer mixture into pan and bake for 35-50 minutes. My toothpick still didn’t come out “clean” when I did the test, but the cake firms up when cold. Chill completely in the fridge. Dust with cocoa powder. Serve to very lucky people.

Here are some tips that Susan shares from Dr. Mercola (another reason I love her - she reads Mercola!) about choosing the best chocolate for your health:

- Choose a bar that lists chocolate, or chocolate liquor, cocoa or cacao as the first ingredient.

- A quality ratio is a 60 to 70 percent cocoa mass with the remaining 30 to 40 percent containing no oils other than natural cocoa butter, as well as no preservatives and no artificial flavourings. - Find chocolate made from the least destructive processing techniques -- Organic is always best as over-processing reduces your healthy nutrients and can introduce lead contamination. - Restrict your intake to dark, organic chocolate -- Consuming chocolate as close to its original raw state (unprocessed cacao) provides you the best health benefits. - Avoid chocolate made from milk or milk byproducts -- Adding milk to the chocolate process can diminish your antioxidant benefits. - Select chocolate with low sugar content -- Sugar can seriously impact your immune system - Consume chocolate in moderation -- When you eat too much chocolate, you potentially diminish and defeat any health benefits due to the sugar. - Avoid chocolate if you're struggling with a health challenge -- Sugar can suppress your immune system. - Choose a chocolate made to the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility -- Fair Trade certification should be part of your selection process.

True, unconditional love.

I can't even begin to start typing this post without tears forming in my eyes. Everyone grab a hankey (seriously).

While looking through the archives of one of my favorite photography blogs, Bippity Boppity Boo, I found a picture from the Nie Nie Dialogues, a blog by a woman named Stephanie Nielson. This could be THE most real example of true, unconditional love I have ever come across. Whitney (from b.b.b) summarized Stephanie's story:

Stephanie Nielson first started blogging when she was 23 years old. She blogged about her handsome husband Christian and her beautiful children.

On August 16, 2008, Stephanie and Christian were flying across Arizona when the small plane they were on crashed into the desert. It exploded on impact. The crash left Stephanie burned over 83 percent of her body. The fire seared the skin from her face, her legs, and her arms. It burnt her hands to the tendons. Christian was burned over 35 percent of his body. The flight instructor died.

However, despite her tragedy, Stephanie has continued to blog. For months she refused to post pictures of her new appearance. She blogged about her frustrations, her sadness, her constant physical pain, her beautiful children, but mostly about her incredible, loving husband who bathes her, supports her, and is a wonderful father.

After spending surgery after surgery in the hospital's burn center, Stephanie is often left nearly immobile after operations. Christian gets up with their children, brings Stephanie breakfast in bed when she cannot get up, takes care of breakfast for the kids, gets them to school, does Stephanie's two hour bandage change, her pads, medicines, wraps and ointments...this is all before 10am. What an amazing man to take care of his wife in this way, rather than hire a nurse. To really be there.

Stephanie and Christian have a love that people search a lifetime trying to find. Rather than tearing their marriage apart, the crash brought them emotionally closer together than they could have ever imagined. Stephanie is still adapting to her new life, but with the support of Christian and God, she remains positive and her inner beauty shines through her scars.

Through Stephanie's story I am reminded of what really matters. Talk about a frying pan hitting you over the head. Focus on the most important things in life: God and your family. Love unconditionally. Be self-sacrificing. Thank the Lord for blessing you with this amazing thing called life and everything else will fall into place just as it is meant to be.

Thank you, Stephanie and Christian, for being an inspiration and an example to us all. Yours is a life to live by.