Celebrity Inspired Spring Style (for less!)

Spring is all about transitional fashion and transitional pieces. The most cost-effective Spring outfits are made up of a little from of your winter wardrobe and little from your summer wardrobe.

Gwyneth Paltrow mixes her over sized navy blazer and winter jeans with a light color sneaker and  classic gray tee from her summer wardrobe. Get the look for less: shoes // blazer // tee // jeans

Priyanka Chopra is chic for Spring in a white blazer paired with a light, chambray dress. The dark color of the shoes is great for winter, but the open-toed, sandal style makes them acceptable for Spring too! Get the look for less: blazer // dress // shoes

Kristin Cavallari's fringe boots, jeans, and cardigan sweater are perfect the perfect pieces to bring from winter to Spring in the colder climates of the world. Her white tank top and the blush color of the sweater give us hope for Spring! Get the look for less: sweater // jeans // tank top // boots

Reese Witherspoon has Southern Spring style down to a science. She pairs the perfect shorts with long-sleeved button down and sandals. Her look is perfect for the Down South Gal where things get warm fast! Get the look for less: shorts // shirt // sandals

Will and Kate Visit Northern Ireland

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Northern Ireland on February 27th and 28th   just before the March holiday. The couple visited the cities of Belfast, Fermanagh, and Ballymeno on their two day trip.

The Baron and Baroness of Carrickfregus, as Will and Kate are in Northern Ireland, arrived in Belfast for their first engagement Windsor Park Football Stadium which is home to The Irish Football Association.

For her arrival in Belfast Catherine chose to wear a red Carolina Herrera coat over a pair of black trousers and a Ralph Lauren 'Cable-Knit Cricket Sweater', and her 'Marissa' booties from LK Bennett.

William and Catherine spent their time at the stadium learning about the Association's 'Ahead of the Game' project which works to support Northern Irish football clubs and volunteers when dealing with mental health issues and the 'Shooting Stars' program which encourages young girls to get involved in football.

The Baroness changed in to the 'Longshore Quilted Padded Jacket' by Barbour and 'Fresh Foam Cruz' sneakers from New Balance.

The future King and Queen's next stop was to the Roscor Youth Village in County Fermanagh. 'The Village' as it is known is a residential activity center run by the charity Extern. The Village was created to help young people develop independent living skills such as managing a small budget, learning to cook, and maintaining their living space. The youth at The Village are referred there by Department of Justice social workers.

Will and Kate were able to take part in numerous outdoor activities including canoeing and archery.

The couple got the night's party at Empire Hall by stepping behind the bar and pouring pints. William and Catherine enjoyed an evening of performances from some of Northern Ireland's up-and-coming musicians and comedians.

Kate wore a Missoni 'Metallic Lurex Midi Dress' in mint paired with suede Gianvito Rossi '105' pumps in a praline color and a suede Mulberry 'Baywater' wallet clutch in buttercream.

For her second day in Northern Ireland with her husband Kate wore a coat by Mulberry, a blue dress by Jenny Packham, Rupurt Sanderson 'Malory' pumps in a blue suede, and carried a blue suede Jimmy Choo clutch.

The Baron and Baroness's first engagement was at Hillsborough Castle in Ballymena on the second day of their tour where the pair met with officer and staff of the Police Service in Northern Ireland where they discussed the challenging roles they undertake.

Will and Kate's next engagement took place at the Braid Centre where they learned about the charity Cinemagic where they took part in a makeup demonstration, a storyboard masterclass, a camera demonstration, and met with children in the musical theater program. 

Children from Ballykeal Primary School, among others, were on hand to greet Their Royal Highnesses upon their arrival. 

The Duke and Duchess Cambridge's final engagement of their Northern Ireland was at Sure Start. Sure Start is a government program that supports parents with children under the age of four years old living in disadvantaged areas of Northern Ireland. The pair joined a spring gardening activity.

More Will and Kate news coming soon!

Pub Grub Bangers and Mash

Happy St. Patrick's Day! The March 17 celebration started in 1631 when the Church of Ireland established a Feast Day honoring St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland who died around the 5th century. The celebration has changed a lot in the last 12 centuries! Try a traditional Irish and British dish this year to go along with a pint of green beer or Guinness! 

What You'll Need:

8 large Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1/4 - 1/2 cup of whole milk

1 1/2 pounds of beef sausage

1/2 cup of chopped onions

1 teaspoon of rosemary

1 teaspoon of oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup of mushroom, sliced

1 (.75 once) packet of brown gravy mix

1 cup of water

Salt

Pepper

What You'll Need to Do:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

Place potatoes in a saucepan with just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes.

Drain. Mash with 4 teaspoons of butter and enough milk to reach creamy consistency.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat cook sausage until heating through, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove sausage from skillet and set aside.

Add remaining butter to skillet, add onion, rosemary, oregano, and garlic.

Stir until tender.

Whisk together gravy mix and water as direction on packet.

Add gravy mix to skillet.

Simmer, stirring constantly to form a thick gravy.

Pour half of the gravy mixture into a casserole dish.

Place sausages in a layer over the gravy.

Cover with remaining gravy.

Top with mashed potatoes.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until potatoes are evenly browned.

Enjoy!

Recipe from The Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines.


For something a little more American check out my Copycat Shamrock Shake Recipe!

Meghan and Harry's Moroccan Adventure

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in Morocco via a commercial flight in the evening of February 23 for their official tour of the country. The couple were greeted by the British Ambassador to Morocco, his wife, and an Honor Guard at Casablanca Airport. Meghan and Harry were then taken to the royal residence of King Mohammed VI to settle in for the night.

The Duchess arrived wearing a custom Valentino red cape dress and nude pumps and carried the Valentino V-Ring Crossbody Bag in Pink and nude leather gloves.

The Sussex Sweethearts spent their first full day in Morocco in the city of Asni. They first visited Education for All Morocco's boarding house.  70% of women and girls in Morocco are illiterate and Education For All is a safe place for girls to live and study during the week.

Meghan started the day wearing a navy blue Alice + Olivia Roll Cuff Blazer, Birdies Blackbird slippers, a Misha Nonoo cashmere crew neck sweater, Illestevea Leonard tortoise 'York' sunglasses, and an Artzia Wilfred 'Frayed Gray Triangle' scarf.

The pair then visited the Lycee Collegial Le Grand Atlas, the school next to the boarding houses where the boarders study. The Duchess was part of a Henna ceremony. The Henna ceremony is a Moroccan tradition of celebration, including to celebrate pregnancy. Meghan and Harry also watched a student soccer match at the Lycee Collegial Le Grand Atlas and met some of the players.

Later in the day, The Duke presented Michael McHugo, the founder Education for All Morocco, with an MBE for services improving gender quality in education. For the more formal event, The Duchess changed in to Manolo Blahnik polka dot slingbacks and the 'Roland' white silk blouse by Aritzia.

After the investiture, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke with some of the girls who live in the boarding houses and their house mothers.

Meghan and Harry finished their day with an evening reception at the British ambassador's official residence where they met with guests including military representatives and and young, female entrepreneurs.

Her Royal Highness wore a custom ivory Dior gown, the 'D-Bee' Dior gold satin clutch, and Christian Dior 'D-Moi' gold heels.

The British Royals started their second full day in Morocco at The Royal Equestrian Club in Rabat. The parents-to-be met with staff to learn how equine therapy helps disabled children and young people with mental health challenges. The pair were also able to meet with the young people engaged in the therapies.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex next took part in a cooking activity with local children and Chef Moha at Villas des Ambassadors. The organization enables children from under privileged backgrounds to learn more about cooking traditional Moroccan food.

For the morning's events the Duchess tied back her long, dark hair and wore black Stuart Weitzman 'Brooks' booties, Equipment Femme cashmere 'Lucian' sweater, and a J. Crew green field jacket.

The couple's next engagement was a visit to the Andalusian Gardens where they met some of Morocco's young entrepreneurs and artisans whose products are sold to help bring awareness to youth unemployment and to support vulnerable communities.  

For this portion of the day, The Duchess changed in to her Manolo Blahnik polka dot slingbacks, GAS Bijoux 'Gourmette' Earrings, a Loyd/Ford black spaghetti-strap pleated dress, and Aritzia Babaton white 'Keith' blazer. 

As their last engagement of their tour of Morocco, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with Mohammed VI of Morocco, The King of Morocco at his royal residence. Meghan and Prince Harry also met The of King of Morocco's sisters, Princess Lalla Hasna and Princess Lalla Meryem, and The Crown Prince of Morocco, 15-year-old Prince Moulay Hassan who is next in line to the throne.

For the gathering the mom-to-be wore a custom Carolina Herrera fauna print dress and carried her  'D-Bee' Dior gold satin clutch seen earlier in the tour.

More Harry and Meghan news coming soon!