Guest Post ~ Lou Lou in DC

Hello!

I have the privilege today to share another guest post from B! When we lived together in DC I was constantly raiding her closet and desperately miss her (and her closet) now in San Diego! Today she is sharing a fun find in DC. Maybe if you're in the area you'll check it out or share (with a comment) how much you already love it!

One of the other more sparkly things in town that I love is Lou Lou Boutique. One location is in DuPont Circle, the other around Metro Center (near the Ford’s Theatre, which is part of the Smithsonian and therefore free to the public, and has a really exceptional museum/tour by the way). 

This quaint store has many sparkly and fun things. Earrings, headbands, necklaces, bracelets, hand bags and rings to your hearts delight. It has a super cute, shabby chic style, not quite as alternative/indie as urban outfitters or Anthropologie and less expensive! I believe this fun find originated in northern Virginia, as there are also 4 locations in that area. 

You can go to: www.loulouboutiques.com for more information! 

Boyfriend and I are headed to DC the first weekend in June and I am definitely going to have to drag him to Lou Lou to check it out! 

Thanks for sharing B!

I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! I'll be camping and I'll try and do a mobile post!

~Elise

Cuteness and a Discount!

Happy Monday!

Was just exploring this morning and stumbled upon 25% off plus free shipping at Boden! I have always thought their stuff was especially cute because not only do they use great colors but they are not afraid of RUFFLES- I love ruffles.

Source

 

 

 How cute is that outfit for a young professional?! Seriously loving the summer colors and of course ruffles!

By the way the discount continues but it doesn't get better than now through Thursday...25% Off (23rd-26th May), 20% Off (27th May), 15% off (28th May) plus Free Shipping.... just sharing.....

Hope you all have a great week! And if you know of any other sales happening let us know!

Ta-Ta ~ E.

Guest Post ~ Biking Fun in DC with B!

Alright everybody, I am so excited to introduce my absolute bestie. Her name is B and she lives in Washington DC where we met at school, and she is going to GUEST POST! I just shared with her that I was writing a blog and it seems like a perfect fit to also have her add to it and give it a little East Coast flair! So here she is Miss B!

Here we are berry picking in college! More on that if you wanna know... let me know!

Let me start by saying that I am honored to be a guest blogger on “Sparkle at Twenty-Something”! 

I am a young professional living in Washington, DC and would love to share how I make my life Sparkle at Twenty-Something in the District (and on a budget). 

Capital Bikeshare is one of my favorite new programs in the District, designed to get DC residents exercising, having fun around the city and also offering a new style for commuting. Recently I spent a day with my boyfriend biking around town, running errands and enjoying the beautiful spring weather. 

A one-day pass is $5 for the first 30 minutes that you bike. After 30 minutes you get charged a small fee per hour you have the bike out. There are 114 pods of bikes are the area so we made sure we returned out bikes every 30 minutes to not get charged extra. 

It sounds inconvenient but with at least one pod in every neighbor of DC it was not at all hard.  This is great whether you are a resident or visiting in town. You can also get yearlong memberships if you live in the area. 

Here is a picture of me, looking maybe not as sparkly as I would have liked, but wearing and helmet and being safe comes with some sacrifices!

I love them. End of story. ~E

As well as my boyfriend and me with our bikes in front of the White House. 

You can go to: www.capitalbikeshare.com for more information! 

Well that’s all I have for now! Thanks for reading and make sure to check back with “Sparkle at Twenty-Something” for more exciting posts! 

-B

Peace, Love, Rock 'n Run

Just treated myself to an adorable and slightly sexy lavender yoga top
from Lululemon! Yay!

Bye Bye Glasses

(see full image)

The day has come and gone I no longer need corrective lenses! :)

~Elise

Just Some Cute Things

Happy Monday!

One of my favorite things to do is create virtual outfits, well honestly I love creating real outfits and if I had unlimited funding then it would be a perfect world, but till then virtual outfits will have to do!

And on this gloomy Monday afternoon I'm in the mood to share some accessories that I am craving.

Aerosoles Wedges

Love these tan wedges. I actually just bought these and was surprised by the color they turned out to be. They are definitely tan not the lovely blush color they seem in this picture. I still love them and am definitely enjoying working out new outfits to wear them with. Like these white bootcut pants and top that are still on a wish list of mine. I really really really want these white bootcut pants. I am constantly checking the Gap website for them to go on sale....

Wish I knew where this was from... sorry...

Skinny Boot Jeans

And I'm very excited to share another love of mine- Noon Jewlery is beautiful, stunning, and oh so girly. Boyfriend got me these white coin pearl drop earrings for Christmas this past year and I have to try not to wear them everyday- they are just perfect!

Dove White Coin Pearl Drops

Ahhh I love looking at these pretty things... yesterday I wore my new wedges to the Mother's Day festivities and some pictures were taken, which is a shocking event for one of our family functions. Once I receive the pictures I'll edit this and share them.

Hope you all had a lovely Monday!

XOXO,

Elise

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul

On this beautiful Sunday it is hardly the weather for chicken noodle soup but sometimes I can't help myself. I wanted to share a favorite recipe of mine that I love making for people when they are under the weather.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 roasted whole chicken (yep, from the store, they are usually $5 and already cooked and delicious)
4 cups chicken stock (I use bouillon cubes they are cheaper and easier to have on hand than cans of chicken stock)
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup carrots
1 tablespoon minced garlic (fresh is best...)
2 tablespoons of butter (or so you may want to use more or less call me Paula Dean but butter in a pan makes things taste better)
About half a package of egg noodles
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Cut up all of your veggies. Melt the butter in the pan a bit then add in the veggies till they soften up. You don't need to worry about cooking them till they are soft. Just give them a little flavor in the pan with the butter.

While the veggies are softening up in a large soup pot bring your water to a boil. Once the water is boiling add in the bouillon cubes. If you are using canned chicken stock just bring that to a boil.

Once that is on a roll (aka boiling) add the veggies and noodles.

While the noodles are cooking in the broth start breaking down the chicken into yummy bite sized pieces. I usually only use about half of the chicken for one pot of soup but if you like your soup super meaty be my guest to add more. If you like less chicken use less. Then you have the other half of the chicken for another dish- enchiladas, chicken salad... the possibilities are endless!

Once the noodles are practically cooked add the chicken in to warm up and gain a little more flavor. One of the beauties of using a store bought roasted chicken is it already has delicious flavor and you didn't have to spend the time roasting it yourself!

After you have incorporated the chicken you are ready to eat! My new kick is adding red pepper flakes to my bowl, it also helps the sickies with congestion- just saying.

I hope you get a chance to make this super easy and delicious recipe. Let me know how you like it!!

~Elise