We all have those pieces hanging in our closet—you know, the ones that we bought because they’re just so darn pretty, but for whatever reason, haven’t worn.

I look at these items in my closet often, but sigh and pass right by them. They’re too wonderful to purge, but I haven’t figured out what to do with them.

That is, until today. I grabbed two of the “just can’t figure out” offenders, and set about styling them in a way that I would—and could—wear.

The first is this Dolce & Gabbana dress that I bought AGES ago, at a vintage store with the tags still on it, for $90. It’s one of my thrifting victories, for sure. But it has these annoying black bra straps which never seem to go with anything, and feels too 90’s. So, I tucked in the straps, threw on a $5 necklace from F21, and vogued it out to Madonna:

The second piece is a floaty, sheer top that I also picked up a-thrifting. It’s adorable, and has a pouffy chiffon flower at the back. I toned it down with cuffed boyfriend jeans, my favorite green suede shoes, and a necklace from Subversive’s target collection:

I’ll just put it out there; Ikea is my personal Disneyland. Inexpensive, streamlined, and brightly colored (usually—I don’t appreciate the autumnal tones their pillows, throws, et al. have been dressed in recently, but anyway) thingamabobers as far as the eye can see. And…ice cream! Fat-free frozen yogurt, actually:

What’s better than that? The only unpleasant part of my Ikea experience (aside from the recent departure from poppy, cheerful colors) is the feeling of self loathing that begins to take hold as soon as we enter the home furnishings section, and I am faced with the brilliance that is the Ikea interior designer. You live in a two foot by two foot box, with nine other people? No problem! Ikea has an obscenely perfect two foot by two foot display studio to show you just how slovenly you’ve been living, and how improperly sectioned your living spaces have been. Oh; and they’ve included a walk-in closet, to boot. Show offs.

I have spent many a visit sitting on one of these dream room couches, shaking my head and muttering, “look at this couch/chair/bookcase configuration—it’s perfect! Perfect!” to no one in particular, perhaps freaking out the throngs of people walking by. But I’ll never know, so despondent am I. Usually, Paul finds me with tears in my eyes whispering, “Why? Why couldn’t I have thought of this? Why doesn’t our living room look like this?” until he drags me away, down into the lighting section, which always makes me feel better.

I escaped this fate during our trip to Ikea yesterday, but just barely. Perhaps the reason I am so sensitive to the design brilliance of the teeny weeny show rooms, is that I have been battling with our living room for the five months we’ve lived in our new apartment. It has a fireplace, but in an odd part of the room, making it almost impossible to use it as a focal point, which as a loyal reader of Domino (RIP, sniffle, sniffle), I know is tres important. And it’s rectangular shaped, and there are these wall sconce light things that are smack dab in the middle of each wall, making it impossible for me to hang wall art in any sort of normal, right-above-the-couch-where-I-want-it kind of way.

But, I’ve been staring at the different parts of our living room for far longer than must be healthy, and I’ve come up with a plan! And, we headed to Ikea to fulfill that plan, made possible by an anniversary gift card from my Dad and step-Mother.

The transformation is almost complete…follow-up post and photos, coming soon.

Today is one of those mornings; everything in my cupboard leaves me feeling blah, and I can’t stomach the idea of another bowl of cereal, even eggs seem too fussy, and I can’t possibly be bothered to lug out my ginormous toaster.

There is only one cure for these fussy morning food feelings: a ridiculously easy dish I have lovingly dubbed “Caramelized Banana Yogurt Goodness”.

• Simply slice a banana lengthwise, and pop into a skillet (I spritz the skillet with a bit of olive oil spray, to prevent any stubborn stickiness);
• Spread a teeny bit of honey over the banana—you’re looking to give it a glow, not a bath;
• Heat over medium high for about 30 seconds, then flip with a spatula;
• Give this naked banana side a rub with the honey;
• Wait another 30 — 60 seconds until both sides are golden brown and a tiny bit crunchy, then gather;
• Plop onto a pile of greek yogurt;
• Remember to breathe as you gobble up the goodness.

Because grill marks excite me in a way I can’t properly convey, I use my grill pan to achieve the nifty caramelized lines, but you can use any skillet you fancy.

I also use greek yogurt, because it’s much lower in sugar than the Yoplait variety (even plain—check the back of regular yogurt the next time you’re hanging around the dairy case, and you’ll be surprised). I also love the taste and texture; it’s thicker and much less sweet, with a little tang.