Alva Leigh

On vacation…

alvaleigh — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:13:59 +0000

DECISION DAY 2012 – RESULTS

alvaleigh — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:00:08 +0000

we’re moving to LONDON!

DECISION DAY 2012

alvaleigh — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:00:33 +0000

Tonight Will and I are deciding where we’re going to move this fall! London, Toronto, or New York! We’ve visited all three cities (loved them!) and have a really tough decision ahead of us. This move has consumed our lives lately, so I’m ready to start planning and celebrating! Tomorrow night I’ll announce our decision! Stay tuned…

photos from pinterest

EASY UPDATES – recap

alvaleigh — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:00:12 +0000

Hope you had fun with EASY UPDATES – here’s a recap if you missed it!

HOME: decorate with household fabrics / meal planning

FASHION: little details / last year to this year / cheap thrills

LIFE: podcasts / May gift guide / spring gin & tonic

MUSIC: porch mix / beach mix

Thanks for participating! xoxo – AL

easy updates: gifts under $40

alvaleigh — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:00:47 +0000

A few easy ideas for all these May occasions!

iphone case – $40 / we’re better together print – $8 / customizable letterpress stationery – $36

EASY UPDATES: cheap thrills

alvaleigh — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:00:36 +0000

Some fun, trendy items to add to your wardrobe – all under $20! I want it ALL!

TOPS: 1 / 2 / 3 SWIM: 1 / 2 / 3 ACCESSORIES 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

EASY UPDATES: last year / this year

alvaleigh — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:00:42 +0000

Remember those sailor shirts from last year? They’re still around if you missed out (cause they’re classic!). When it’s warmer it’ll still look great with shorts, but while the air’s a little brisk, layer it over a button-down (a print, if you’re feelin’ wild).

Here’s how I styled mine last weekend in Toronto.

collared shirt / striped shirt / jeans / shoes / ring / similar sunglasses

songbook: “Ordinary Day” on the Nashville Film Festival Mixtape

alvaleigh — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:00:30 +0000

Thrilled to be a part of this year’s Nashville Film Festival’s mixtape! Get it on Noisetrade now – only up for the duration of the festival!

EASY UPDATES: BEACH – a music mix

alvaleigh — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:00:48 +0000

Two weeks from today I’m headed to the beach! Here’s a mix of classic tunes and some new favorites best served with ice cold Bud and your pedicured toes in the sand.

BEACH from alvaleigh on 8tracks.

cover image from vintage printables

EASY UPDATES: fridge to table (recipe + download!)

alvaleigh — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:47 +0000

With this impending move, I’m trying to build some money-saving habits that we can carry with us (since we will be poor graduate students). One thing I’ve been trying to do is plan our meals each week – I sit down on Sunday, flip through cookbooks and plan my grocery list around the meals we’re going to eat not the meals we might eat. Then I put it on the fridge as a reminder with the page number & title of the cookbook so it’s easy to get going.

If you want to get fancy (and more organized than I was last week), I made a template you can download here.

We ate this Thai Salad for lunches – it was very refreshing but satisfying enough to keep you full until dinner. The recipe is after the jump!

THAI SALAD – adapted from Mollie Katzen’s The New Moosewood Cookbook

the dressing:

6 tbsp good peanut butter
1 cup boiling water
4 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar or honey
1 to 11/2 tsp salt
3 to 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
crushed red pepper or cayenne, to taste
2 tsp lime juice

the salad:

1 medium head crisp lettuce (romaine is good)
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 small bell pepper, in thin strips
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced
2 cups whole wheat linguine, chopped
2 medium (fist sized potatoes), boiled and sliced
a large handful fresh cilantro, to scatter on top
a scattering of peanuts, to serve
1 avocado, chopped
lime wedges, to serve

the original recipe is great too – I just didn’t have everything on hand