One thing that gets my gears going is anything that has a cause to it.  I couldn't imagine living a life without purpose, so needless to say, I like getting involved!  To celebrate World Food Day, Michael Kors has partnered up with the United Nations World Food Programme for it's second annual limited edition watch line.  For every watch sale, Michael Kors will donate $25 to WFP.  This $25 contribution feeds 100 children in need and has currently made enough revenue for millions of nutritious meals.  In addition to the watch line, participating Michael Kors retailers will give out t-shirts and for EVERY person who wears and shares the tee via social media, he will personally donate 100 meals to children in need.  Donations can be made through the Michael Kors website or in store when you pick up your t-shirt or watch ;) For more information on how you can donate or shop the collection, click here.  Happy World Food Day everyone, make it a purposeful one!

xo..Brocade Closet

Pesto Pasta Recipe: Holy Turkey

I really hope you all are hungry and limited on time because I have the most delicious, not to mention super quick, recipe for you.  I haven't cooked Italian sausages in a very long time so I figured I'd stem away from my normal chicken breast and ground turkey for a bit-and let met tell you, my taste buds are so happy with me. Let's jump into the ingredients!

You'll need:

1. Italian sausages-I choose turkey sausages because my conscious was telling me to try to stay healthy with delicious proteins.

2. Shell noodles-These noodles are low in calories and made out of wheat, hello good carbs!

3. Pesto sauce-I've cooked with a variety of pesto sauces and this one is my favorite.  Don't feel too bad, pesto sauce is made with olive oil and guess what!?  If you didn't know, olive oil is good fat.

4. Veggies-I choose green beans and edamame because I thought the blend would fit in nice.  When I make this again, I'd like to mix spinach and peas in to add more greeeeeens.

5. Spices- I usually use a basic chicken flavored seasoning or garlic salt but this is totally up to you and how you'd like your sausages to taste.

6. Olive Oil- I extracted two tablespoons of olive oil from the pesto sauce just to keep the rich pesto flavor, it was a last minute idea but a brilliant one!

The first step you'll want to take is to boil four cups of water into a pot and then pour the noodles in.  Cook this over medium/high heat and let the noodles sit until they're nice and soft.  This should only take about ten minutes or so depending on the type of noodles you're using.

 While your noodles are cooking, pour your olive oil into a pan and lay your sausages side by side but not too close to each other.  Rotate the sausages often until all sides are evenly cooked, this process should only take about ten minutes.  Once they're all cooked, set the sausages on a plate and cut them into pieces.  I simply cut thin slices but you can cut them however you'd like. 

In the same pan the sausages cooked in, pour your vegetables and just quickly stir them around for about two minutes.  This process is to simply heat up your veggies and catch left over flavor from the sausages. 

By the time you're done with the veggies, your noodles should be nice and cooked.  Drain the noodles and place them back into the same pot.  I didn't add butter to the pot prior to returning the noodles just because I wanted to keep the sodium at a moderate level. 

Next, add in the vegetables, cut up sausage pieces and pour the pesto sauce over all ingredients.  Stir the ingredients together and you're done!

To finish up my meal, I sprinkled a little bit of feta cheese for extra taste-so delicious!

I really hope you all enjoy this super quick recipe, let me know how your dish comes out!  Happy cooking..xo Brocade Closet

DIY: Lamp Makeover

Hi everyone!  I'm super excited this evening to share with you all my newest DIY project that's super easy and fast to get done.  For about a week, I shopped every store you could think of for perfect silver colored tall lamps.  Discouraged with prices, variety and shapes I was looking at, I came to my Martha Stewart senses and decided to customize my own lamps.  This project makes for a fun crafting afternoon and only took about a half an hour to complete.  Here's how you can take a lamp from simple to glam!

You'll need:

A set of lamps-I purchased mine on Craigslist

Spray paint-Any color you desire (I got mine for $6 from Michael's craft store)

Gloves-so paint doesn't get all over your hands

Newspaper-or anything else to paint over

Lamp shades-this is optional, if you like the shades your lamps come with already then you won't need new ones.

After you put your gloves on, shake the spray paint can up a bit and spray away.  I started from the bottom and made my way up the base of the lamp.

After applying the spray paint to the entire lamp, go ahead and give it another coat to fill in spots you might've left out.  I noticed the color got brighter so I was really liking the idea of a second coat.  When you're all finished, let the lamps sit in the sun until they dry, I left them out in my patio for a few hours.

After they've sat outside for a while, add lamp shades of your choice and VOILA.  These newly transformed lamps never looked better!

Happy crafting!...xo Brocade Closet

Audrey's Boutique x Brocade Closet

Outfit Details

Heels: Zara-old (shop similar here+ here+ splurge here) //Dress: Audrey's Boutique (shop here)// Oversized Jean Jacket: Zara (shop similar here + here+splurge here

For a while now, I've been searching for the perfect striped dress.  So, as soon as this asymmetrical cut dress started trending, I felt compelled to add it to my brand new wardrobe!  The hunt wasn't too rough since several local stores were carrying the same exact dress, however, there's one boutique that sticks to their word of delivering the BEST prices-introducing, Audrey's Boutique.

This little gem hides in a tiny plaza but don't let the shop size fool you!  Audrey's Boutique has loyal followers that shop on a first come first serve basis.  The owner is so good at updating her social media sites and keeping customers updated on new items.  My absolute favorite thing about her updates is whenever an item is sold out, she lets everyone know more less when to expect the item again.  You can shop Audrey's Boutique here and follow her latest Instagram updates here!  Happy local shopping and an even happier Saturday.

xo..Brocade Closet