The Fat Kid's Back

...and she's guest blogging at

Fairy Tales are True

while sweet Sarah is out of town.

It's a walk off between 

Kate Moss, me, & butter....


and I'm pretty sure I killed it.

The Dirty Dozen- Laura

12 Months. 12 People. 12 Questions

Today we are getting to know, Laura, of the Black Frames.

You may also know her as the blogger behind Something Legit,

{and the author of our own Alluring Kennedy series}

but her hidden talent is revealed this week with the debut 

of The Black Frames debut video: Legbone.

So Laura is a blogger, a bass player in a band, a world traveler...

and she has a full time job?

( ... I feel like an underachiever.... ) 

We asked Laura 12 Questions.

Beth has the first 6 questions.

I have the other half dozen below.

...

SEVEN

What do you do when you aren't doing... it?

I like to go out to dinner with my friends,

travel, yoga, book club, watch movies, and go to shows.

EIGHT

How could you take "it" to the next level?

Video blogging my friends.

It's the next big thing.

NINE

What do you watch?

30 Rock.

Every week, Tina Fey tells some of my story.

Also, episodes of Arrested Development. It never gets old.

TEN

When you aren't playing, what are you listening to?

Latest loves: The Mourning Benders, Toro y Moi, Tennis, Crystal Fighters, Talking Heads, New Order

ELEVEN

What do you read?

Last book was Blood, Bones, & Butter.

It's about a chef in NY. I was hungry the whole time I read it.

I wanted to consume food... and it was wonderful.

TWELVE

Where are you going?

It's wedding season, so you'll find me in a few bridesmaid dresses this summer.

I just got back from the UK & France, so I'll be playing that off for a while.

Next summer though, Costa Rica. It can't come soon enough.

... 

Read the first six questions

we asked Laura

at Hello Splendor to get 

the full picture!

Million Dollar Pancakes

In the past,

I've proven to be a bit controversial.

{e.g: my displeasure with cheese}

Today, I'm back with another divisive statement:

I think pancakes are gross.

While they may be cute in theory,

they are a soggy mess of bread, butter, and syrup

in real life.

But like cheese and olives,

I'm trying.

So I've found a few spin-offs of the classic pancake

that not only have me willing...

but excited to whip out the old griddle!

While these may seem the same as your standard pancake,

I can't wait to try this out.

Not only are they far prettier,

but I love that these pancakes have more crispy edges

to withstand the soggy fate of a fluffy pancake.

Chocolate shavings, espresso powder in the batter,

marscapone cheese filling...

I would be so tricked by these that I might even eat it for dessert.

I think that is frosting instead of syrup...

which tricks my mind into thinking it's a giant cake donut...

but with funfetti sprinkles.

So I love it.

Obviously, these are a bit ridiculous...

but hey... they are vegan,

so they can't be too bad, right?

I guess not ALL pancakes are gross.

{just plain ones that get real mushy...}

To be honest,

 I did love a good Cory Cake from Legal Grounds

when we lived in Dallas

{Pancake with granola, strawberries, banana, and apple praline syrup.}

And I do have a recipe for a mutation of a pancake 

that I can not wait to share with you later this month.

It's loaf-ier and saltier...

and probably involves bacon.

You may name your first kid after me once you try it.

Or not.

Either way, you'll like it.

*images via 1, 2, 3, 4

If you woke up in Paris....

So remember that one time

when I did that series

"If I Woke Up in Paris?"

Yeah, that one.

The one from last week.

Sweet Joelle of

Where We Love is Home

emailed me and asked if she could do 

her own continuation of the series.

Erm.. hello, yes!

So, luckily,

 the series lives on.

Check it out!

If you want to add on to the series, 

blog away...

then email me & I'll link it on!

Monday Moods: I feel... tired.

Seriously, I'm whipped.

We had an amazing weekend,

but I almost can't explain it

because so much happened!

Thank goodness for pictures to help clear the fog.

From a gala on Friday,

birthday on Saturday morning,

heading to London for the race,

 a midnight train home,

and stuffing my face at each stop...

I feel like a zombie.

I might still be in bed when you read this.

And yes, England is six hours ahead.

Winner & A Movie

Today, we are having a double feature.


First up,
 the winner of my giveaway...

Sweet Heather of

Heather Stokes Photography

won my London & Paris Souvenir Giveaway.

I'm a little sad to send that yummy jam all the way to Texas...

My consolation prize will be the sweet Anchor tote 

that I just won for myself on

The Bedlam of Beefy.

{A terribly clever blog}

And now the second subject...

While my friends were in town,

I showed them some stuff I'd been working on this spring.

Since I don't scrapbook or remember to print actual pictures,

I started making videos for us

as a way to remember fun things that happen.

My friends thought I should show them to you.

I thought, 

"How narcissistic of me...

 and how boring for them."

But I just finished one, and figured...

what the heck.

Hope you like it,

and if you don't... 

well, it's fine.

 We can still be friends.

*warning: this video contains a high level of PDA

Bloggers: We're Just Like You...

Does anyone else ever read blogs and start to think:

"Wow. I wish I could be cool like them."

"That blogger has a real house that they designed that looks amazing...

what clean, Nordic, modern, & photogenic offspring she has...

and how do they afford the entire JCrew catalogue every season?"

Because to be honest:

 I do.

... but I've started wondering:

Maybe I do that to people who read my blog.

I mean, I live in England

with a really cute boy,

and get paid to travel.

I can see how it sounds really great.

{It is actually...}

But I'm sure that if we passed each other on the street,

you wouldn't take a second glance.

I'm a normal girl... who gets to edit how she appears in blogging.

So to be fair,

I'm going to let my guard down a bit

...because this blog should be equal parts glam & real life.

Afterall... I am only an Aspiring Kennedy...

not actually the heiress to any Northeastern trust fund.

In this first installment,

I would like to shame myself with a special series of photos.

See, I love celebrities,

especially royal ones...

... which is why I had to buy this Kate Middleton mask

and slap it on at random 

while my friends were in town.

The worst part about it

{besides the knock off engagement rings we bought}

was that we died laughing 

every. single. time.

So if I misled you to think I was a svelte, posh, person,

I apologize:

I am actually severely ridiculous.

Happy Friday!!

*photos by Rachel Johnson & Kyla Kiser

Patternseed

Last May, 

I spent two weeks in New York 

for the National Stationery Show.

Working a trade show 

is always a mixture of 

glamourous inspiration & schleppy grunge work...

You spend your day meeting buyers from Berdorfs and editors of Elle...

while standing in heels for 9 hours, running around like an idiot, 

and shoving fried chicken tenders down you mouth from a snack bar.

One thing that definitely adds to the fun

is the friends you make inside the Javits Center.

It's kind of like going to camp.

You get stuck in a cramped space together for a week, 

until you inevitably become friends

by laughing at the same stuff

 and bonding over the disgusting bathroom situation.

And last year, Beth & I became friends 

with a girl named Meghan.

Located directly across from the chair massages

{which we visited daily}

was Meghan's booth.

There she sat... all alone.

A cute, little, blonde,

at her very first show

selling fresh & simple patterns

from her line, Patternseed.

Obviously, we loved her.

And then,

West Elm started loving her, too.

Now her design

{my favorite from the show!}

is featured on this great pillow...

and it's so cute and affordable!

So go on..

Buy one for your house,

buy another for your friend,

and support sweet girls like Meghan.

Girls who dream big,

take expensive risks,

and always offer good candy at their booth!

{PS This is my second friend from NY trade shows that has designed a West Elm product!}

Not to be dramatic...

... but Laura Mercier is on Gilt Groupe today.

And I'm going little crazy.

I've never understood why

the cosmetic industry is exempt 

from marking their merchandise down?

Every single other industry has sales...

how do they get away with continuous full price?

I still have no clue.

Either way...

we can snag the low prices today.

Like now.

Go!

PS. Have you noticed how much I love this site? 

La Shakespeare

I'm lucky to work with college students

who choose to study abroad in London & Paris.

I teach them things like

 British Culture, getting around on the Tube, 

& how to navigate a menu at an Indian restaurant.

And in return...

they teach me things like

internet hotspot shields that let me watch 30 Rock on Hulu,

Harry Potter movie star trivia,

& the "cool" places to go in all the European cities.

Last fall, 

my students were constantly scheming

of how to get a visit to Paris to visit

Shakespeare & Company.

They had heard of it from students before them,

and were bubbling with excitement to make it there,

...so I decided I need to check it out for myself.

 I went with my friends when we were in Paris,

and we looooved it.

This hidden gem

{cleverly disguised as a book shop} 

sits across the bridge from Notre Dame.

{Like literally, in it's front yard.}

Cozy corners to sit and read, old books mixed with new books, 

an outdoor area that overlooks the cathedral,

and the stamp of Mr. William Shakespeare inside the cover of our new books

left us resolved that this was pretty much...

 heaven on earth.

*photography by Rachel Johnson, 
  editing by Aspiring Kennedy

Nooooey.... This is bad.

Have you seen the new ads for Rimmel London?

Pretty Zooey Deschanel has been contorted beyond recognition...

which breaks my heart, 

because I really love her simple style.

E! Online bemoaned the photoshop tragedy

which caused a twitter backlash from the starlet.

{This is getting awkward...}

What do you think?

love it, she looks beautiful in both!

why wouldn't I? she looks normal?

or

are you one of the thousands of indie girls crying across the world?

Time to Give Back

I sat down to my blog this morning,

 looked at the side bar,

and saw Aspiring Kennedy has 502 followers.

What the what?

Well, gee... 

thanks, you guys. 

I feel cool,

but we all know that what makes blogs grow 

is awesome readers that "get it,"

and subscribe for a daily dose.

Thanks for choosing to do that with my blog.

It's really nice of you.

In honor of the best readers

who are happy to sit in on my gushing, traveling, and general dorkiness...

I brought you back some souvenirs from my trip!

Raspberry Jam from LaDuree

{because macarons aren't great after a week in the mail}

Double Devon Toffees

{if I can't eat sweets, you should}

BIODERMA Make Up Remover

{when Gwyneth tell's me her French pharmacy favs, I go}

Harrod's Finest Earl Grey Tea

{afterall, only the best for my dear friends}

1. Be a follower of Aspiring Kennedy

2. Like me on facebook

3. Add Aspiring Kennedy to your blog roll

4. Follow me on twitter

{snag an extra entry for tweeting the giveaway!}

5. Donate to Japan

6. Tell me about your first kiss

{Aren't friends supposed to know this kinda stuff?}

Please remember to leave an extra entry for everything you do

so you get as many entries as you deserve!

I'll draw on Friday, Saturday March 26th...

Somewhere over the Rainbow... and on the left bank.

So as you may know-

I was in Paris last week,

and the good news is:

Paris is still awesome.

I typically think of the city 

in muted tones of pink and blue...

...but walking through Paris this week 

was like looking through a kaleidoscope-

every market stall, museum, and shop was bright with color.

It felt like I had woken up 

somewhere over {or on top of} the rainbow.

*all images are original to Aspiring Kennedy