Absolutely Aya by Aya Sellami: 2015

Comfy Thanksgiving

12/20/2015

So I don't know about you guys, but when it's Thanksgiving I try to wear the most comfortable outfit I can. Comfortable and cute, that is! It's inevitable that I'll end up stuffing my face in copious amounts of food (don't forget dessert), so it's crucial to find an outfit that can hide that little food baby. You know what I'm talking about... every Thanksgiving it's bound to happen. But hey, that's what the holidays are for! Food, family, and fun, or the 3 F's as I like to call them.

I'm lovin' this army green long sleeve dress for this season because it's comfy, cute, and versatile! You can style it in so many ways, and I think it's definitely a staple in my fall/winter wardrobe. It's also a 'one size fits all' dress, so no need to worry about the sizing. For Thanksgiving dinner, I paired it with some black opaque tights, some casual booties (heeled booties would look adorable as well), and a statement necklace. I also thought it was the perfect opportunity to wear my new liquid lipstick by Ofra Cosmetics and youtuber, KathleenLights. It's a gorgeous deep orange color that totally fits the Thanksgiving theme.

DIY

Pumpkin Pancakes

11/25/2015

A delicious recipe for fluffy pumpkin pancakes packed with fall spices and topped with walnuts (or pecans), and maple syrup. Your fall morning just got better.

If you know me, you'll know that I'm a pumpkin fanatic. As soon as September hits, you'll be sure to find me stuffing in some pumpkin puree and pumpkin spices into every dessert possible. I mean come on... fall only comes once a year! Might as well make the most of it.

Although there is no rule against making these pancakes all year round, there is a rule that you need to make these during the fall. At least once. Maybe twice. Maybe every Sunday (like me, hehe). It's an absolute must. Life without (pumpkin) pancakes is not a good one.

Don't let the fact that these are made from scratch scare you! I know there's some of you guilty of using pancake mix and adding in some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. Mhm, I gotcha. In all seriousness, this is actually not as hard as it may seem, and it tastes so much better than the box stuff. Give it a shot!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Yield: 8 to 12 pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

1 cup milk

6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 egg

Chopped walnuts or pecans for topping (optional)

Directions:

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, nutmeg, and a pinch of ground cloves.

In a separate bowl, stir together milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients, and whisk together by hand. Do not over mix, just whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated together. Batter will be quite thick.

Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat (about 350-375 degrees F); pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. I used a medium size cookie scoop for each pancake.

Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side or until bubbles start to form; serve with butter, walnuts, and syrup.

Tips:
*Make sure to allow the melted butter to cool down for a little before adding it into the liquid mixture. Adding it with cold eggs and milk will solidify the butter, and the mixture will turn out clumpy.

*While placing the 1/4 cup batter mixture into a pan or griddle, you can spread it out more with a spoon if it is too thick to spread out on its own.

*Do not flip or take the pancakes out of the pan too early; the pumpkin puree needs some time to cook inside. Doing so early will leave your pancakes under-cooked and not fluffy.

Serve these on Thanksgiving morning and your family will love you forever.

Fashion

'Berry' Fall

11/21/2015

This year I have officially decided that fall is my favorite season. Quite honestly, I've never really had a 'favorite' season before. I used to think spring was my favorite because of my birthday, but I've come to realize that it's too rainy for my liking. I'm more of a colorful & bright kind of gal, and I think that's exactly what fall is. The changing leaves, the perfect breeze, the seasonal spices... Not to mention, it's the season for cinnamon and I love me some cinnamon.

Another thing I love about fall is the chance to wear gorgeous, deep lip colors. This berry color on my lips is one of my favorites, and it matched perfectly with my cardigan. This outfit is probably an example of my go-to fall outfit: a cardigan, scarf, jeans, and some riding boots. Super quick to put together, especially when you have to go to school.

Raise yo leaves up if you love fall

Fashion

Pumpkin Patch

11/08/2015

Fall is hands down my favorite season. There's Halloween, pumpkins, cider, cinnamon... what more could you ask for? I always make sure to go to a farm at least once during the fall season, whether it's to go pumpkin picking, apple picking, or just going to see the animals and activities. This year I went a little later in the season, about a week before Halloween. The pumpkin patch I went to wasn't too full of pumpkins because it was the end of the season, but better late than never, right?

Flannel - Forever 21 | Jeans - Hollister | Boots - Urban OG | Infinity Scarf - Ebay

Isn't this the most perfect pumpkin?

My gal pals ;)

DIY

DIY Greek Goddess Costume

10/30/2015

Need a quick, last minute Halloween costume? Try this Greek goddess costume that's super elegant and quick. You don't even need to go out to buy anything. All you'll need is some white bed sheets, a gold necklace, gold bracelets, gold earrings, a gold belt, and some gold makeup!

I followed this super simple tutorial on how to make the toga:

For my headpiece, I just used a gold necklace I already had. Any gold necklace will do! All you have to do is place it on your head and bobby pin in to secure it in place.

Use any gold bracelets for arm bands, and don't forget some gold, dangling earrings, too! For the gold band around the waist, I used a belt. Feel free to use a piece of gold string or ribbon if you don't have a belt.

Happy Halloween!

Fashion

Kerkennah Islands, Tunisia

9/13/2015

Kerkennah Islands are a group of islands lying off the east coast of Tunisia. The best part of the trip is being able to take a ferry from Sfax to Kerkennah, or what I like to call it, a mini cruise. It takes about an hour or so to get to the islands from Sfax, so I was able to relax on the ferry for some time.

Going on this boating trip, I knew I had to wear the perfect boating outfit: a striped shirt, a fedora, and khaki pants.