Sweet Beginnings

(red velvet cake with chocolate & cream cheese icing)

     One of my favorite treats in the whole wide world is Red Velvet Cake! Its absolutely amazing! So yummy, so sweet, and a little tang from the cream cheese icing! Ive actually never had it with cream cheese and chocolate icing, but the picture was just too good to resist!

     Anyways, there's nothing more comforting than your favorite food right? It brings out good memories, brings up happy emotions, and just makes you feel so calm & collected. So, what about a room based on and inspired by your favorite foods? If you love mac & cheese, how about a yellow and white room with hints of orange? I decided to create a room based on Red Velvet Cake, and I actually really love the idea! I mentally high-fived myself.

*The basic colors of the room I chose were white and red, but I decided to go with some natural/neutral tones too so the room wouldn't be too light.

1. Brass & Crystal Chandelier: I absolutely love this chandelier! Its so pretty, and it's so classic and fancy, yet not too fancy. Just right.
2. Printed Pillows: Red Velvet Cakes are sweet and fun, so why not have sweet and fun pillows! I love pillows with words, crazy textures, or even just a simple big heart! Whatever turns the corners of your mouth up.
3. A Sleeper Sofa: Not gonna lie, I chose this sofa just because I love how it looks! It just looks so soft and plushy, like something i'd love to come home to and to just fall asleep on while Survivor plays in the background.
4. Printed Rugs: Im a huge fan of prints in clothing, and also in pieces for the home. I absolutely love these printed rugs, especially the second one with all the cool patterns!
5. White Chair & A Half: Appareantly, a chair and a half is literally that......a chair and a half! I guess its just a small couch. Either way, I really love the white color with the black legs, and it just looks so perfect!
6. Wood Table: I absolutely love this table! The color is so perfect, and the little drawers on the side are really nice too! It just looks so simple, but it has the ability to make the biggest statement in the room. It definitely stands out, kinda like the red in the cake!
7. Red Chairs: The simpler chair would work best for maybe a dinner table, or just on opposite sides of the room. The arm chairs would work perfect on opposite sides of the room in a living room, or maybe next to each other. But I really love the velvet fabric, and their look as a whole!

I hope you all had fun reading this post, because I had so much fun writing it and coming up with it all!

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Sweet 15

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Today is my 15th birthday! Its finally here! I've had an amazing day so far, and I'm just so happy to have amazing family and friends to share it with!

Now that I've turned 15, even though I know its not the biggest age, I still feel like I've matured so much. I look back to how I was when I turned 14, and I really am different now.
I've learned what to do, what not to do, who to trust, who not to trust, everything in between! Growing up really is great, and even though i'm leaving behind the number 14, I hope the number 15 brings me even more fun times and joy too! 9 months till I can drive, oh yes!
Also, I'm getting older and learning a lot of new things, and hopefully this new knowledge gets me where I want to go, and makes me happy in the end. Now i'm really starting to think about what I want to do, especially school-wise, and i'm just hoping for the best in everything. I have so many goals, and the list just bugs me so much, but with hard work ill get where i want soon enough.

So, i'm off to enjoy whats left of my sweet first day being 15! Taylor Swift song......maybe included.

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Once Upon A Dance

(Three days until my birthday! Woop woop!, hello sweet 15!)

     Aside from looking forward to my birthday, another pretty special event is coming up this school year. That, ladies & gentlemen, would be my homecoming dance! I didn't go to homecoming last year due to something that came up, and I felt like I missed out so much! But, this year, I am definitely going! 
     The one hurdle I have yet to conquire is finding a dress, which is actually sorta hard! There's so many options, and of course my fear of having the same dress as 5 other girls comes into play. So, I sat myself down to try to find a dress, and instead came up with basically a wishlist/dream-dress list. Though it might actually be irrelevant, here are some dresses I would absolutely love to wear to homecoming! If I set my mind to it, maybe I could buy one of them! Also, these are the styles for the actual dresses I want, and its a good way for me to get ideas.



Dress #1: I really like this dress! For some reason, i've had a thing for white dresses for a while, and the simplicity of this one caught my eye! Not sure if I can get jiggy in a strapless dress, but either way, its perfect!

Dress #2: This is actually my favorite dress out of all of them! The jeweled top and the flow of the bottom part caught my eye, and I love it! Its just enough sparkle, yet its not over the top! I know i'd be so comfortable in the dress, and i'd really feel like the Belle of the ball. Besides, white dress + sparkles = happy me!

Dress #3: This dress is just breathtaking! I love how long it is, and the lace collar is just gorgeous! Maybe this dress is a bit more prom-y, but its so pretty I just had to add it onto the list!

Dress #4: I fell for this dress a few months ago, and it just pops up everywhere I look. Its so beautiful, and the colors are fantastic! I absolutely love the ombre effect, and the bandage style is really chic and cool, and in all its a fantastic dress.

Dress #5: Hello glitter! This dress is absolutely amazing! Throw simplicity out the window, because this dress might have just stolen my heart! There's glitter everywhere, the cut is perfect, and it really is the great party dress! The actual style of a dress I want for homecoming is full-glitter and sparkle, and this makes the grade! Oh, how I wish it was mine.

Dress #6: I chose this dress for its simplicity. Its not too dull, yet its not too out there. Its just so calm, so neutral, and I think it would go really well with my skintone!

Dress #7: First off, I love the nude color of this dress! Then the addition of some sparkles makes me like it even more, and in all its just such a pretty dress!

Dress #8: Id like to think that this is more of a playful update on the sleeved glitter dress, but I like it just as much! The gold color is so pretty, and it'd just make me shimmy the whole dance just to see the lights reflect! Its a really pretty dress, and the sleeve-less look works well!

Which dress from above is your favorite?

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A Little Bit of Everything

     One of my favorite things to do is play around with pieces from my closet and pair them in different ways, especially mixing patterns together! Its such a fun thing to do, and some of the combinations become life-long loves you just cant get over! So, I decided to share some of my tips/tricks for mixing patterns, and also mixing colors, and hopefully you can incorporate them into your closet too! It will almost feel like everything's brand new!

Tip #1: When I mix patterns, I kinda try to color-block. I dont like how it looks using patterns with like colors, so I try to use the next color over (yellow + orange) or (blue + green) etc or just different colors in all. Also, I think its a great idea to also have one or two neutral or single color pieces in the outfit, like a single colored scarf & bag, or just plain brown boots or simple shoes. The single colors pop out, and may even tone down an outfit if you pile on the prints.

Tip #2: From what I've seen, gingham & flower print go together really well, cheetah & flower print go together well, stripes & flower print go together perfectly and I love the look with cheetah print added on too.

Tip #3:  If you want to use the same pattern twice, its a good idea to use it in two different fabrics or colors. Like for example, wear a cheetah print cotton skirt, then a denim cheetah print jacket. Or, a yellow & black cheetah print skirt, and a blue & white cheetah print jacket, both made of denim.

Tip #4: For accessories, I usually try to keep it simple when I mix together patterns. I'd hate to take away from each piece, and I usually worry that the jewelry will get lost in the sea of colors. But, you can go with your instinct and add more flare if you'd like!

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Bless Your Rustic Heart

     After a tough day at field hockey practice, I literally just sit on the couch for an hour and stare blankly at the T.V. But most of the time, I think. I think about random things, important things, maybe even things that don't make sense to me. But the past few days, i've been thinking of looking at more rooms and houses. To me, its almost as if looking at interior decor and design is a soothing experience. It turns any frown I may have upside down, and once i've had my fair share of drooling over amazing ideas, i'm as happy as can be!
So, when I stumbled upon these rooms a few days ago, I was ecstatic! Appareantly, H&M has a home section now. Sadly, its only in the U.K! Either way, I was in awe! The over-all theme of the home is this sort of rustic feel, with tons of hints of autumn and fall to fit into the season and the theme! I really love all the neutral tones, but hey, see for yourself!

  (photos)

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Two-Tones, One Heart

A while ago, I fell in love with these two tone platforms from Marni after I saw them worn by a couple of my favorite blogs. They're absolutely gorgeous, and the two colors compliment each other in a stylish clash that leaves me breathless! While on the search for the exact pair, I actually found another version of them! So, here's a little styling post I did using two pairs of two tone Marnis. They're definitely on my wishlist, they're amazing!

Peaches & Cream:
For the record, this pair is my absolutely favorite! For some reason, the brown reminds me of Vanilla Extract and the pinkish-orange reminds me of ice cream. Go figure! I chose to stick with the peach tones, and picked out a gorgeous peach shirt, and a dark coral maxi skirt. The pink suede bag was a must in my opinion, because its been the apple of my eye for ages, and I decided to share the love. I thought that coral and nude nailpolishes would go best with the outfit, and simple gold accessories could complete the look.


Full Moon:
For this outfit, I wanted to do something a little on the dark side, yet still fashionable and chic. I chose to start with a striped top, and next I picked out a beautiful blue-to-white maxi skirt! I love the bleeding effect. Next up, I picked out a black leather satchel. I chose simple accessories for this look too, because the stripes were already powerful, so there wasnt too much need for pizazz. Some pearls and a cross ring would be perfect. I wasnt sure about nail polish, but a black color would be nice.

*Be sure to look out for me in tonight's(and the future's) Prep Talk! I'm the new writer for the Dress Me Up Buttercup column, and I really hope you all like it!

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Neon Plus Neutral

   
     One of my favorite trends that emerged over summer is the Neon and Neutral trend, and i've been holding onto it ever since! I absolutely love adding a pop of color to a basic one, and almot color-blocky effect that comes out of it! If wearing an all neon outfit is considered too much, then why not add a little neutral to break down the too-many-pops, all while making it look tons better? Its a playful trend you can have tons of fun with, and the best part is its so simple!

Outfit #1:
I first chose a neon lace top, and a neutral twill skirt. I added on a leather skinny belt, neon clutch, and some pretty silver & black necklaces to balance it all. One thing I've never seen is the look with riding boots, and I think its an amazing idea! The minute I saw those boots, I knew I wanted to add them into the mix. I also thought that a deep pink nail polish would look really nice with the outfit.


Outfit #2:
For this outfit, I decided to style with the main item being neutral, and then just adding on the neon. I chose this gorgeous Calvin Klein shift dress, and then a bright pink jacket on top. Looking at it, its not exactly neon, but its just bright enough to get the job done. I couldn't decide between a neutral bag or a neon bag, so I chose both. The little clutch is my favorite, from Claire Vivier. I fell in love with it instantly! I added two-tone heels and a pretty pink skinny belt to complete the look, with a pink & black necklace.

Thank you all so much for the follows & comments! I appreciate them all very much.

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Red Pride + Red Gardens

 

     This weekend, some family from North Carolina visited, and we decided to take them around our city and then to D.C. We ended up visiting the Monument, White House, and a few Smithsonians along the way. Also, we ended the night by going to Nandos, one of my favorite restaurants ever!

     But for me, the highlight of the weekend was my new black maxi skirt from Forever 21. I've never owned a maxi, but the moment I saw it, I fell in love! Its so long, so flowy, and absolutely perfect to me!

     I was so excited to wear my skirt, but I ran into some roadblocks. I tried on as many tops as I could find, but nothing seemed to settle with the skirt! That was until I grazed over to my University of Maryland shirt, which I got a few years ago. I put it on, and I loved the whole look! I grabbed a chain necklace, some black flipflops, and I was on my way! I love finding another way to pair something I own, and this was definitely a fun look!

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Corner Stores & Cobblestones

I love cobblestone, and I can't really pinpoint why. Im not sure if i'm making a connection with nature, or if the texture is what catches my eye. Either way, I know I really like it! On the fronts of houses, on street corners, wherever it is, I love it! What comes to my mind when I think of cobblestone is the sense of rustic-ness. Something urban, cool, yet with a fantastic nature-esque vibe. So, I put together a collage to show off my ideas for a rustic-urban street home, and here it is! I incorporated ideas for both a bedroom and a living room. Also, I sort of imagined the two rooms as if they were in a apartment in SoHo, maybe in a cobblestone building.

Some of My Favorite Pieces:


Printed Pillows: I think for an urban home, printed pillows make a huge impact! They add a sense of cool, which sets of an awesome tone!

Unique Vases: Unique or un-ordinary vases are a great addition to any room, especially one that you want to have a certain vibe to! Besides, they come in the coolest shapes, textures, and designs!

Antique Chandelier: I absolutely love chandeliers, but sometimes Id like to sway from the crystal delights and go off to ones a little more worn. I especially love this brass chandelier!

Vintage Ottomans: Adding more to the urban vibe, I think a vintage ottoman is a good piece to add to a living room. I absolutely love the design of its legs, especially the wood carvings, and the velvet cushion is lovely!

Rustic Bed: I absolutely love this bed, especially because of its headboard! I love the collection of all the different types of wood as they come together, and the colors are great too! Also, colored throws on top of it add a pop of color.

Printed Rugs: Ive always been a fan of printed rugs, especially ones with cool patterns! For a room like this, they would work best in neutral colors, or semi-dark colors mixed with neutrals (ie: dark red with brown or black).

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Peppermint + Ivy

Hello there! & welcome to Peppermint  And Ivy. This is a blog about growing up, discovering new interests, and finding ways to live life to the fullest. Oh! And it might also be about fashion, interior design, and whatever fun little trips I take along the way.
First off, my name is Tariro. Im 14 (15 in 22 days), and I'm loud, creative, and probably the most social person you'll ever meet! Im addicted to sequins, and my favorite color at the moment is blue! I absolutely love graphic designing, and i've recently begun to really get into interior design! I missed blogging so much and I was ready to get back, so I decided to start a blog combining my love for those two and also my love for fashion. I feel like I always have ideas running through my head, and I like the thought of having a place to put them all and share them too.
Before I decided to start Peppermint And Ivy, I owned a blog called Savile. But, I decided to have a fresh start, and a clean slate to really take my ideas where I want them to go. Dream job? Creative director for Vogue. Current job? Sleepy student with big city dreams.
Here's a little taste of whats to come!

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