First day in NYC!

thrifty thursday

i cannot lie, i love designer. must be... the estrogen. i've gotten a lot of questions over the years, like "where do you shop?" "how do you afford that?" "how do you keep up with stylish trends?".

le answer: thrifty shopping.

of course i splurge- but i don't splurge on every single thing i buy. when i buy something designer, or pay a higher price, i usually am buying a classic piece that i won't give up after a season. i like to get my money's worth.

but, some of the trendiest clothes come at low price. one quick easy way to learn what's "in" is to walk into H&M. i have no problem shopping at forever 21 for a outfit i'll wear out once. it's all about how you wear it, your style.

if you haven't noticed, colored denim was in last fall but is HUGE this spring. naturally i wanted 5 new pairs of pants in all different colors. while i love the JBrand, Vince & Mother colored jeans, $200 x 5(pairs) = $1000 on colored jeans that may be old news in 6 months. {shop Nordstrom's colored denim here}

i ended up buying 3 pairs: coral-orangey-red, bright cobalt blue & kelly green. i don't think i paid over $30 for a pair, and they came from Old Navy, Delia's & Target.

my favorite places to shop for less online are:
ZARA
Nordstrom's BP department
ASOS
J. Crew {you know they have sales every-other day, right?}
Forever 21
Old Navy

what are your thrifty finds or favorite "thrifty" places to shop?

lemon garlic pasta

I made this delectable treat for my mom last night, my favorite pasta recipe! It's a lemon garlic & arugula pasta, here's how it goes:

{p.s. takes around 30 min}

Ingredients:

1 lb. fusilli whole wheat pasta

small bunch or package of arugula

2 cups of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of garlic, minced (2 cloves)

3 lemons

1/2 cup of grated or shredded parmesan

salt & pepper

1 tablespoon of capers

***I have made this pasta several ways, you can include cherry tomatoes, broccoli and/or peas as well.

Prep:

It takes me a while to zest & juice the lemons, so I like to do that first. Also, mince garlic if it is not already. While doing that, I boil water and throw in the pasta. Let pasta boil for 12 min. Zest 2 lemons, then juice them. When that's ready, place a sauce pan on medium heat. Place the olive oil & garlic in the pan, let the garlic cook a minute. Then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cream, a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of pepper. Bring sauce mixture to a boil, add capers, then simmer for 15 min.

When pasta is done, drain and place back into pot. Dump sauce from saucepan, & stir in. Let sauce sit & soak for 3-5 min. Stir in arugula until the leaves soften. Add as much as desired. Stir in parmesan, let it melt into the sauce. Throw a little extra on top. Add a little more pepper, and serve!

If you have favorite pasta recipes, please share! It's my favorite!

worldless wednesday

obsessing with printed pants, these are at anthropologie

new kicks

I'm arriving in NYC tomorrow!! (source)

which means...

...there is a serious reunion about to take place.

closet troubles

via Pinterest

{that is not my closet} 

today i took well over 400 pictures of clothes. clothes in my closet that i would like to pass on to others. i want blog followers, friends, & anyone who fancies to be able to buy my clothes. {i have WAY more than i know what to do with, and everything i'm selling online is in perfect condition} before moving on to purses, i began posting the items for sale on eBay. i have never had a bad experience on eBay. ok, i had one. but i have also never successfully sold. so today i attempted, and was halted after 10 items. apparently there are limits! limits as to how many items you can post in a month. how unfortunate that they would stop me at 10 when i have 400++++. i didn't even get to the good stuff! apparently i can call them and discuss this matter... i am skeptical.

anyone had issues like this before? what if i promise them i have great name-brand & designer items? will that get me 20??

arghhh. well for now, my 10 items can be found by clicking the "shop my closet" tab. stay tuned if you care to buy an entire A&F warehouse, or have an affinity toward Ralph Lauren.

via niftythriftygoodwill.wordpress.com

starting fresh

via pinterest

I've been fighting the urge to transform my blog for some time. I wanted my tumblr to grow into a legit, big-girl blog. I don't have any sort of free time, so this wishing was really just waiting. I finally created the elle bow room blog, and I pray that my hectic life allows me to give it the attention I dream of giving. It feels weird to start fresh, but I look forward to the journey!

via pinterest

It has taken some time, but I am happy to announce that the elle bow room blog is up & running, on Blogger, Pinterest & Twitter, and maybe soon, Facebook. You can also follow my personal Twitter and Instagram accounts at the handle { elspethcrawford }. Enjoy!