The dream closet by ba&sh

Happiness looks gorgeous on you.

When I started this new blog, one of my biggest intentions was to elevate my style as a newish mother working from home. In other words, ditch the sweat pants and give them a day off every now and then! After all, I did work in the retail fashion industry for almost a decade and you can't beat the "look good, feel good" motto, it really does work. 

Recently, one of my closest mom friends here in the city (an expat from France) introduced me to the French apparel brand, ba&sh. If you, like myself had never heard of them before, here is a little background on the brand.

A shared love for fashion led best friends Barbara Boccara & Sharon Krief to create ba&sh. Their idea? To bring their dream wardrobe to life so that they could share it with other women. A brand truly made by women for women. Both timeless and distinctive, ba&sh clothing is a statement of your unique personality and character! From glamorous long dresses to chic effortless jumpsuits, ba&sh knows how to dress women with elegance throughout the seasons. 

The ba&sh style remains distinctly Parisian, uniting an expression of freedom with an easy, joyful elegance. It is easy to recognize a ba&sh dress...The key? The happiness of the woman wearing it.

The dress that I'm wearing here is the Mela Noir from The dream closet by ba&sh. 

Each Friday, from 5-7pm at the Nolita location here in NYC, you can borrow iconic pieces for special occasions, free of charge as long as you return them by Monday at 7pm. Think long evening gowns, sophisticated jumpsuits and feminine prints. As soon as I saw this dress, I was immediately drawn to it because of it's bohemian vibes and I'm always a sucker for a long maxi dress. Comfort is key and I don't think they will ever go out of style. I could have styled this so many ways (belted, leather jacket, denim jacket, puffy scarf, etc) but decided to throw on a hat and keep it simple. Trust me, a major improvement from my uniform of late, leggings and a hoodie!

Thank you so much ba&sh Nolita for letting me borrow from your dream closet 💋

✌🏼
-Angie

Labels

Can we discuss a basic label? I think the term Stay At Home Mom/Dad or SAHM/D can sound so degrading or of little importance. The term and acronym should be changed to Raising Kids Full Time or RKFT. I once read an article that said if someone asks, "What do you do?" or, "Do you stay at home with him/her/them full time?" you can simply say, "Yes, I work full time." instead of, "Oh, I just stay at home or am a stay at home mom/dad." Full time parents ARE working FULL TIME and I can say as a parent in a city like New York, you can bet I'm not staying at home all day. We are constantly out and about! And even on days that we are in fact at home, there are a multitude of things being tended to, nurtured, cooked, fed, cleaned, scrubbed, brushed, clothed, bathed, laundered, wiped, dressed, undressed, re-dressed, packed, unpacked, entertained, encouraged, guided, corrected, repeated, played, sung, read, imagined, etc. etc. etc. 

On the flip side, I know plenty of people who are proud to be called a stay at home parent. They may have felt a calling long ago to "just have babies" and raise them and be able to be a constant and consistent nurturer throughout their children's entire childhood. They have no qualms in comparison to other professions like being a doctor or lawyer. 

I once read a Reddit thread that argued and mocked the SAHM/D role, not considering it to be classified as a "job" at all. Many people chimed in and said, that's just being a parent. So, if you work an office job 9-5, and then come home and take care of your children in the evening, cook dinner, help with homework, put them to bed, etc. that's considered the same whether or not you're doing it all day or just in the mornings or evenings, it is only "being a parent". Let's say you "stayed at home" the first 4-5 years of your child's life and then wanted to get back into the "real workforce" ie. making an income, since we all know raising our own children does not have any financial gain. The Reddit comments argued that in this instance, if you tried to put down SAHM/D as an occupation for the last 4-5 years that it would be a joke, not worthy and not considered an "occupation", just an obligation as any other parent has the responsibility of. Fair enough? Now, if you're a Nanny doing all this and getting paid, that's 100% considered a job, an occupation. So if we also got paid raising our own children, would it then be considered so? Pretty interesting.

I'm not offended when people ask or say, "Oh, you're a stay at home mom." but I do think it's fascinating how we label this extremely important and undervalued role in society. I mean, we are raising future citizens that will hopefully contribute positively to our world and society! So I'm curious? What's your take? If you are or aren't a parent and whether you are the sole caretaker of your child/children, how do you feel about your role and how it's viewed? 

✌🏼

-Angie

the pech fam is moving again!

tote bag by piccolini NYC

the pechs are moving back to NYC! 🍎 i never thought i'd be saying this, but we are thrilled even though the timing is a little bit crazy. luke was offered an amazing promotion that was just too good to pass up and it didn't take more than 24 hrs before we decided, yes, absolutely, lets do this.

when we first moved to NYC almost 7 years ago, we were so naive and brand new to everything the city had to offer. we were still dating and it was definitely the most challenging, yet magical time in our relationship. the city changed us in many ways and ever since we left, we have missed the food and the energy and all of the amazing opportunities there. it truly is a place where anything is possible.

it's bittersweet to be leaving Boston since so many great things happened for us here. we've been in the same spacious apartment for the last 4.5 years and have really enjoyed exploring new england. we got engaged, we got married, we started a creative business, and now we're expecting our little dumpling!

currently, we're vacationing down south in the low country for our baby-moon, but as soon as we get back, we head to the city to apartment hunt. so if you know of any great brokers or 2 bedroom apartments available, let us know asap. we'd like to be settled before #babypech makes his debut. fingers crossed! also, any recs for great midwives/doulas/pediatricians would be greatly appreciated as well.

we can't wait to share our second grand adventure living in the big apple and all that's to come in this very exciting new chapter of our lives!

goodbye 2016 and welcome 2017!

🎉 H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R!!!

i'm welcoming 2017 with open arms and am especially looking forward to meeting our little dumpling #babypech this spring. 

there are great habits and lifestyle changes i've made over the past few years that i'm determined to continue. after digging deep into our bathroom and kitchen, i've replaced our cleaning and body products so that we aren't using anything that contains toxins or harmful ingredients linked to health issues. i still love making smoothies and fresh juice most days and our membership at the ymca has been a lot of fun. even if we don't "work out" all the time, we love taking walks and exploring as much as possible, locally or elsewhere. overall we eat a diet of mostly vegetables and fruit and have incorporated more beans (pulses) into our routine, but we certainly don't deprive ourselves of anything (meat, junk food, etc). being pregnant the last half of 2016 has definitely been good motivation to improve my overall health in general. your body is most definitely a temple, so treat it well! i never ever want to take my health for granted.

i want to continue practicing the piano and ukulele this year. playing music just makes me so happy! it's thrilling to me that some simple notes on a page can translate into a beautiful feeling or memory, it's extremely satisfying.

i'm determined to have less "stuff". i've always been a bit of a sentimental hoarder, collecting receipts and business cards, plane tickets and maps and menus from my travels and saving every single birthday and christmas card i receive. in the end, the clutter of it all just becomes too much! i've consolidated immensley and only kept the very special tokens and reminders of certain people and experiences. i've also donated a few car loads of clothes and miscellaneous things to goodwill which feels amazing. the timing couldn't be better considering the anticipation of our new addition, as i'd rather have fewer "things" to deal with while adjusting to having a newborn! 

the biggest challenge for me lately is living more intentionally. i used to be so good at sending all my friends and loved ones cards or letters or thoughtful gifts and photos. i've been careless lately with my sentiments. my intentions are still good, but most often the moments pass by, compliments go unsaid and packages never get sent. i then feel incredibly guilty about it. i really miss those acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. showing the people that i love and care about how much they truly mean to me is very important and a high priority this year. especially considering the state of affairs around the world and in our own backyard. more love, more kindness and more compassion are in dire need these days!

what are your hopes and dreams? your ambitions and intentions? whether you make resolutions or not, or just simple goals for yourself on the daily, do share them (out loud or online) and i hope we can all keep each other motivated and inspired! 👊🏼

baby pech

#babypech #littledumpling 

south lake tahoe, ca

german chocolate birthday cake

I BAKED A CAKE.

when your friend and current neighbor (who was also your childhood neighbor growing up) has a birthday and his boyfriend asks if you would bake his favorite birthday cake because it would be too suspicious if he makes it considering they are housemates, you say, ABSOLUTELY!

then you sweat a little bit and have a mild panic attack as you realize you have never once baked a cake that wasn't from a box. but thou shalt triumph! this cake must be made from scratch and somehow it must look pretty, even though german chocolate cake has the ugliest colored frosting full of chunks.

so i used this fabulous recipe from google for both the cake mix and frosting. i unearthed the two round, 9 inch cake pans from our wedding registry. then washed the dust off of my cake stand from building 19 (which closed for business) that has been sitting unused for over 3 years! although this one is on my wishlist to add to my collection.

it turned out incredibly moist and perfectly chocolatey. the frosting was just the right amount of sweet and chunky. not pictured is the dash of rainbow sprinkles that i threw on top at the last minute. i then braved the rain and ran the cake, uncovered, across the street and up the back stairway to bruce and phil's house. it was a hit! yay!

happy birthday, bruce!

do you have a birthday coming up? 🎉 what's your favorite cake? 🎂 i'm up for the challenge! 💪🏼

Takashi

curry coconut steamed mussels

this weekend, i took a trip down to florida for a girlfriend's bachelorette get together. it was fabulous! we rented a home with a pool out back under a lanai, but what we all enjoyed the most was the fabulous kitchen island. we only ate out once for brunch, otherwise we were in the kitchen cooking every night and enjoying it immensely. 

pictured here is one of the appetizers we collaborated on. steamed mussels in a coconut broth with red curry paste, garlic and cilantro. i had always been a little intimidated by mussels and clams, but after making them for the first time, they could not be more simple to cook.

you can recreate this dish at home with a similar recipe. it is fast and fresh, but not fussy and has a wonderful depth of flavor. just don't forget to grab a baguette for mopping up the broth at the end!

~angie

weekend jam

did you know i've been practicing the ukelele? did you also know that i've been obsessed with 21 pilots since last summer and am really really sad that tickets sold out for the nyc and boston shows this fall and i did not get one? did you further know that it currently feels like 22 degrees over here? 

i'm cozied up and thinking warm thoughts while listening to this sweet tune and dreaming of spring. close your eyes and sing along! also, if anyone can find me a ticket to see 21 pilots and wants to join me, LET ME KNOW, OKAY?!

happy weekend!

low rider pizza

after i posted this picture on instagram, many of you asked for the recipe, so here it is!

pech 'low rider' pizza

(inspired by proto's in denver)

first, make the star ingredient, the sauce! it literally is a cinch and takes less than 5 minutes to prepare.

honey chipotle bbq pizza sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup agave or honey

1/4 brown sugar

2 chipotle chilis in adobo from can (roughly 2 tbls)

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp worcestershire

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

dump all ingredients into a blender (or food processor) for about 2 minutes and you're done! makes about 1-1 1/2 cups and store in the fridge until ready to use.

pizza ingredients:

1 bag store bought fresh pizza dough, white or wheat (or homemade if you like!)

4 slices maple bacon (or regular) cooked through in pan, drained and cut into preferred size pieces

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup chopped fresh (or canned) pineapple chunks

1 jalapeno, sliced thinly (i leave the seeds in for more spice! otherwise, discard)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, left whole or chopped (for garnish)

preheat your oven to 500 degrees (i know, it's high! shoutout to dave jacob for giving us this tip) and make sure the rack is in the center. prepare dough on baking sheet or pizza stone. if you like, you can dust a little flour on the pan first or a little cornmeal. we omitted this step and just used a baking sheet pan and made an oblong and very funny looking rectangle. if you want to be brave and throw the dough in the air, feel free! then spread the desired amount of honey chipotle bbq pizza sauce over the dough with a wooden spoon (i used roughly 3/4 of a cup). then spread your shredded mozzarella cheese and make sure to cover the edges of the crust too. now you can top with the pineapple chunks and the jalapeños. turn the oven down to 450 degrees and pop the pizza in for about 15-20 minutes. take out and sprinkle bacon pieces on top and pop back in for about 5 minutes to warm up the bacon. take out and let rest for about 5 minutes and garnish with the cilantro, slice and serve with a cold coca-cola or a miller lite if that's all you have in the fridge :) ENJOY!

also, if you live in, or ever pass through denver, please go eat at proto's on 15th & platte and tell pam hi from boston!

changes

hello blog world! it's been a really long time since i've been on here. if you didn't notice, i changed the domain!

also, as some of you may have seen, luke and i just launched our official photography website last night. www.pechprints.com SO beyond excited!

what you might not know (because i have been very hesitant to tell everyone) is that i left my amazing job about a month ago so that i could work with luke full time and have some creative freedom with our photography. i know! crazy! right? just let that soak in for a bit...

3 things you should know about this decision:

1) i had a truly amazing position and salary with a fantastic company. without a college degree ya'll, for the record, because sometimes it's not all that matters. persistence, hard work and assertiveness can take you very far. trust me. 10/10 people would've said i'd be crazy to leave, especially after i worked so extremely hard to earn my position over the last 4 years, but i did it anyway!

2) it was not an easy decision, but yet, it kind of was. sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and throw all caution to the wind (after discussing with your husband for months on end of course) even in a time where so many people, with or without amazing degrees, still struggle to find decent work these days. and money doesn't grow on trees as we all know.

3) i have always been a free spirit and if you know me well, i've had a gazillion jobs. the honest truth is because I'm always curious, because i get bored, because i don't like working for mean people, because i move around and had to do what i had to do to earn "a living".

why the need to tell all of you this? even though we all say "it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks" the truth is that i care very deeply about my friend's and family's opinions.  i think it's easier to gain more support and understanding with a little bit of an explanation.

i'm constantly inspired by so many people who are passionately pursuing what they enjoy and love to do. we live in a day and age of millions of movers and shakers with so many more options and resources at your fingertips. I've always wanted to be one of them and march to the beat of my own drum, on my own terms, collaborating with my favorite person in the entire world. and our little furry sidekick.

SO, cheers to a life of more creativity and the freedom to do so! hopefully this inspires someone to not quit their daydream, or at least will make me feel better about my crazy decision in this amazing life :)

last november in boston at the BUST holiday craftacular at cyclorama